Is it contagious? Affect similarity among spouses.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychology
• Sociology

Background:

• Emotional contagion theories propose mutual affective experiences between spouses.
• Empirical evidence for emotional contagion, particularly concerning depressive symptoms in older couples, remains limited.
• Older adults with vision impairment face unique challenges that can impact their spouses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate affect similarity in depressive symptoms between elders with vision impairment and their spouses.
• To examine predictors of depressive symptoms in spouses of elders experiencing vision loss.
• To test the hypothesis of emotional contagion within a dyadic context of aging and disability.

Main Methods:

• A dyadic approach was employed, interviewing 123 elders with recent vision loss and their respective spouses.
• Hierarchical regression analyses were utilized to identify significant predictors of spouse depressive symptoms.
• Data were collected as part of a larger investigation into the experiences of older couples coping with disability.

Main Results:

• Spouse's race, health status, care-giving appraisal, self-efficacy, and family conflict were significant predictors of spouse depression.
• Poorer health, higher care-giving burden, increased family conflict, and lower self-efficacy were associated with higher spouse depression.
• Depressive symptoms in the elder with vision impairment uniquely contributed to predicting depressive symptoms in their spouse.

Conclusions:

• Findings support the theory of affect similarity between spouses, indicating emotional contagion of depressive symptoms.
• Elder depression is a significant factor influencing the mental health of their spouses.
• Interventions addressing elder depression may also benefit the mental well-being of their spouses, particularly in the context of vision impairment.