Stressful Life Events and Life Satisfaction among Chinese Older Adults: The Role of Coping Styles

The role of life satisfaction and living arrangements in the association between chronic disease and depression: a national cross-sectional survey

Introduction

For middle-aged and older people, depression is a frequent and prevalent illness. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating function of living arrangements in the mediating model as well as the mediating role of life satisfaction in the association between chronic diseases and depressive symptoms.

Methods

The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) provided the data for this investigation (2018). Respondents were grouped according to depression status to compare the differences between middle-aged and older people with different depression statuses. The moderating effect of living arrangements and the mediating effect of life satisfaction were tested using the Bootstrap program and the simple slope approach.

Results

The population's total prevalence of depressive symptoms was 30.3%. According to the mediating effect research, middle-aged and older people with chronic diseases experienced substantial direct effects on depressive symptoms (β = 1.011, p < 0.001). It has been established that life satisfaction has an 18.6% mediation effect between depressive symptoms and chronic diseases. Regarding the further moderating influence, it was discovered that chronic diseases had a more significant impact on the life satisfaction of middle-aged and older people who are in live alone than those who are living with others (β = 0.037, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

In middle-aged and older people, chronic diseases have a major influence on depressive symptoms. Life satisfaction mediated the relationship between chronic diseases and depressive symptoms, and living arrangements moderated the first part of the route in the mediation model. Therefore, life satisfaction and living arrangements should be important considerations to decrease the prevalence of depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older people.

Wisdom and wellbeing in polish older adults: the mediating role of forgiveness

Objectives

Possible correlations between wisdom and wellbeing among older people have been extensively debated in psychology. At the same time, researchers emphasize that the effect of older adults' wisdom on their wellbeing depends on numerous mediators. A review of the literature suggests that forgiveness might be one such variable. Thus, this study aimed to investigate whether forgiveness mediated the relationship between wisdom and wellbeing in late adulthood.

Method

In total, 481 participants aged from 60 to 92 years (M = 68.84; SD = 6.31) were involved in the study. All older people participating in the study lived independently in their households. Four psychological instruments were used: (1) the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale; (2) the Heartland Forgiveness Scale; (3) the Psychological Wellbeing Scale; and (4) the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Therefore, the measurement of the analyzed variables was self-reported.

Results

The results showed that forgiveness mediated the relationships between wisdom and wellbeing in the older population. The indirect effects demonstrated that forgiveness mediated the relationships between wisdom and wellbeing. Wisdom related to higher forgiveness (β = 0.21; p < 0.01), which, in turn, was related to a higher level of psychological (β = 0.48; p < 0.01) and subjective (β = 0.36; p < 0.01) wellbeing.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that forgiveness is an important element of wisdom and wellbeing. The greater the wisdom the participants showed, the stronger the tendency to forgive and the better wellbeing they reported.

Cumulative Risk and Mental Health of Left-behind Children in China: A Moderated Mediation Model

Based on the dual-factor model of mental health (DFM) and the cumulative risk (CR) model, this study aimed to investigate the impact of CR on left-behind children's mental health and the underlying mechanism involved, specifically the mediating role of coping style and the moderating role of gratitude in the relationship between CR and mental health. The random cluster sampling method was applied to collect data on CR, coping style, gratitude, life satisfaction, and depression from 705 left-behind children (374 boys, Mage = 12.20 ± 1.25). The moderated mediation analyses indicated that: (1) the moderated mediation model of CR and depression was significant: coping style mediated the relationship between CR and depression, and gratitude moderated this mediating effect with gratitude strengthening the negative association between CR and coping style; and (2) gratitude moderated the relationship between CR and life satisfaction and it also strengthened the negative association between CR and life satisfaction. The findings suggest that the mechanisms of coping style may differ in the relationships between CR and positive and negative indicators of mental health in left-behind children and that gratitude as a protective factor has limited capacity to buffer the negative effect of accumulated risk. These findings provide evidence for differentiated intervention approaches to promote disadvantaged children's life satisfaction and depression.

The Impact of Traumatic Events on Mental Health Among Older African American and Black Caribbean Adults

Objectives: This study examined the frequency and impact of traumatic events on the mental health of older African American and Black Caribbean adults. Methods: The current study used data from the National Survey of American Life of 1,135 African American and 426 Black Caribbean adults aged 50 and older. Analysis examined the impact of traumatic events on both positive (i.e., happiness and life satisfaction) and negative (i.e., depressive symptoms, psychological distress, and 12-month anti-depressant use) domains of mental health. Results: Findings indicate that approximately 80% of older African Americans and Black Caribbeans reported experiencing a traumatic event at some point in their lifetime. Among African Americans assaultive violence was associated with more depressive symptoms, lower levels of life satisfaction, and lower levels of happiness. This was not the case among Black Caribbeans. Conclusions: These findings provide preliminary insight in mental health outcomes for older African American and Black Caribbean adults.