The Impact of Spousal Functional Limitations on Middle-aged and Older Adults’ Quality of Life: A Mediation Analysis of Social Activity Restrictions and Depression

Key Points

• The research aims to understand how a spouse's functional limitations impact an individual’s quality of life, focusing on the mediating roles of social activity restrictions and depression.
• Utilized data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging from 2008 to 2022.
• Conducted parallel and sequential mediation analysis models to assess relationships among variables.
• Analyzed the effects of spouse's functional limitations on quality of life and depression.
• Spousal functional limitations adversely affect the quality of life in middle-aged and older adults.
• Both depression and social activity restrictions mediate the relationship between spousal limitations and quality of life.
• Time constraints imposed by spousal limitations exacerbate depression, leading to further decline in quality of life.

Abstract