Marital transitions and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in China: The roles of social support
Background: This study explored the association of marital transitions and frailty among Chinese middle-aged and older people and whether this association differs by social support. Methods: We used a sample of 12,388 adults aged ≥45 years who participated in the China Health and Retirement Longitud...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-12-01
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| Series: | SSM: Population Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827323001623 |
| _version_ | 1827616105298919424 |
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| author | Shi An Wenwei Ouyang Shuangshuang Wang Juan Yuan Xuemei Zhen |
| author_facet | Shi An Wenwei Ouyang Shuangshuang Wang Juan Yuan Xuemei Zhen |
| author_sort | Shi An |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: This study explored the association of marital transitions and frailty among Chinese middle-aged and older people and whether this association differs by social support. Methods: We used a sample of 12,388 adults aged ≥45 years who participated in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) between 2015 and 2018. Between-wave changes in marital status (“married at both times”, “unmarried to married”, “married to unmarried”, “unmarried at both times”) were used to explore the changes in frailty measured by the frailty index (FI), which was constructed from 55 health variables. Social support was evaluated based on social engagement and intergenerational support. The associations among marital transitions, social support and frailty were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEEs). Results: The mean FI of 12,388 participants was 0.23 (SD = 0.13). Participants who were married to unmarried (β = 0.014, B = 0.005, P = 0.012) and unmarried at both times (β = 0.022, B = 0.003, P < 0.001) had significant a positive impact on FI compared with participants who were married at both times. Social engagement, financial support by children and providing care to grandchildren had an interactive effect with marital transitions in influencing FI. Conclusions: Being unmarried may increase frailty among Chinese middle-aged and older adults. Financial support by children may mitigate the adverse effects of being unmarried on frailty. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:21:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b3ffd5a774904181a40fc7da9879b5e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2352-8273 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:21:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM: Population Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-b3ffd5a774904181a40fc7da9879b5e02023-12-02T07:00:35ZengElsevierSSM: Population Health2352-82732023-12-0124101497Marital transitions and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in China: The roles of social supportShi An0Wenwei Ouyang1Shuangshuang Wang2Juan Yuan3Xuemei Zhen4Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, No.44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China; NHC Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research (Shandong University), No.44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, ChinaKey Unit of Methodology in Clinical Research, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Guangzhou, China; Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, SwedenSchool of Public Administration, Southwest Jiaotong University, No.111, North Section l, Second Ring Road, Chengdu, 61003, Sichuan, ChinaCentre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, No.44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China; NHC Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research (Shandong University), No.44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, ChinaCentre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, No.44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China; NHC Key Lab of Health Economics and Policy Research (Shandong University), No.44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China; Corresponding author. Centre for Health Management and Policy Research, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, No.44 Wenhuaxi Road, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.Background: This study explored the association of marital transitions and frailty among Chinese middle-aged and older people and whether this association differs by social support. Methods: We used a sample of 12,388 adults aged ≥45 years who participated in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) between 2015 and 2018. Between-wave changes in marital status (“married at both times”, “unmarried to married”, “married to unmarried”, “unmarried at both times”) were used to explore the changes in frailty measured by the frailty index (FI), which was constructed from 55 health variables. Social support was evaluated based on social engagement and intergenerational support. The associations among marital transitions, social support and frailty were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEEs). Results: The mean FI of 12,388 participants was 0.23 (SD = 0.13). Participants who were married to unmarried (β = 0.014, B = 0.005, P = 0.012) and unmarried at both times (β = 0.022, B = 0.003, P < 0.001) had significant a positive impact on FI compared with participants who were married at both times. Social engagement, financial support by children and providing care to grandchildren had an interactive effect with marital transitions in influencing FI. Conclusions: Being unmarried may increase frailty among Chinese middle-aged and older adults. Financial support by children may mitigate the adverse effects of being unmarried on frailty.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827323001623Marital transitionsFrailtySocial supportGeneralized estimating equationsChinaMiddle-aged and older people |
| spellingShingle | Shi An Wenwei Ouyang Shuangshuang Wang Juan Yuan Xuemei Zhen Marital transitions and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in China: The roles of social support SSM: Population Health Marital transitions Frailty Social support Generalized estimating equations China Middle-aged and older people |
| title | Marital transitions and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in China: The roles of social support |
| title_full | Marital transitions and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in China: The roles of social support |
| title_fullStr | Marital transitions and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in China: The roles of social support |
| title_full_unstemmed | Marital transitions and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in China: The roles of social support |
| title_short | Marital transitions and frailty among middle-aged and older adults in China: The roles of social support |
| title_sort | marital transitions and frailty among middle aged and older adults in china the roles of social support |
| topic | Marital transitions Frailty Social support Generalized estimating equations China Middle-aged and older people |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827323001623 |
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