Loneliness is a mechanism through which marital quality relates to older adults’ mental health. Links between marital quality, loneliness, and depressive symptoms, however, are often examined independent of older adults’ functional health. The current study therefore examines whether associations between marital quality, loneliness, and depressive symptoms are contextually dependent on individuals’ own (or their spouse’s) functional limitations, as well as on gender. Data came from couples (N = 1084) who participated in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative dataset of older adults (age 50+). We utilized data from the 2014 leave-behind psychosocial questionnaire to measure spousal support/strain and loneliness, and interview data from 2014 to measure baseline depressive symptoms and demographic covariates (e.g., race and education). Depressive symptoms in 2016 served as the focal outcome variable. Findings from a series of path models estimated in MPLUS indicated that loneliness is a mechanism through which spousal support predicts older adults’ depressive symptoms. Such linkages, however, were dependent on individuals’ own functional limitations and gender. For functionally limited males in particular, spousal support was shown to reduce depressive symptoms insofar as it was associated with lower levels of loneliness; otherwise, it was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. Such findings reinforce the importance of taking a contextualized approach when examining associations between support and emotional well-being later in life.

孤独感是婚姻质量与老年人心理健康相关的一种机制。但是，通常会独立于老年人的功能健康状况来检查婚姻质量，孤独感和抑郁症状之间的联系。因此，当前的研究检查了婚姻质量，孤独感和抑郁症状之间的关联是否在上下文上取决于个人自身（或配偶）的功能限制以及性别。数据来自夫妻（N= 1084）谁参加了健康和退休研究（HRS），这是全国代表性的老年人（50岁以上）数据集。我们利用2014年留守心理问卷调查中的数据来衡量配偶的支持/压力和孤独感，并利用2014年的访谈数据来衡量基线抑郁症状和人口统计学变量（例如种族和教育程度）。2016年的抑郁症状是主要结局变量。从MPLUS估计的一系列路径模型中发现，孤独感是配偶支持预测老年人抑郁症状的一种机制。但是，这种联系取决于个人自身的功能限制和性别。特别是对于功能受限的男性，配偶支持被证明可以减轻抑郁症状，因为它与孤独感的降低有关。否则，它与较高水平的抑郁症状有关。这些发现强调了在研究生活支持和情感幸福感之间的关联时采用情境化方法的重要性。