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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats
07:57

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Published on: February 22, 2018

Depression and communication processes in later life marriages.

James M Harper1, Jonathan G Sandberg

  • 1School of Family Life, 266 TLRB, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA.

Aging & Mental Health
|July 25, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Depression in elderly couples negatively impacts communication. When one or both partners experience depression, marital satisfaction and problem-solving skills decline significantly.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Psychology
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Long-term marriages among the elderly are common.
  • Marital satisfaction and communication are crucial for well-being in later life.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between depression in elderly spouses and their communication patterns.
  • To determine if depression in one or both partners correlates with poor affective and problem-solving communication.

Main Methods:

  • Surveyed 614 elderly couples using the Marital Satisfaction Inventory, Revised (MSIr) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D).
  • Grouped participants based on depression levels (low, medium, high) for both husbands and wives.
  • Utilized Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to compare communication scores across different depression groups.

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Main Results:

  • Increased depression in either spouse was associated with impaired affective communication and problem-solving within the couple.
  • Couples where both partners were depressed showed worse communication than those with only one depressed partner.
  • Communication scores were lowest when one or both partners exhibited depressive symptoms compared to when neither was depressed.

Conclusions:

  • Depression significantly affects marital communication in elderly couples.
  • Findings suggest a need for mental health services and couple-based interventions for depressed older adults and their spouses.
  • While causality isn't established, the results highlight the importance of addressing depression for marital health in later life.