Abstract
Objectives: Religion plays an important role in people’s individual and interpersonal life. Spousal religious difference is a potential risk factor of marital satisfaction, which will further influence people’s psychological well-being. This study aims to explore the associations between spousal religious differences, marital satisfaction, and psychological well-being of Chinese middle-aged and older adults. We also investigated the gender differences in the captioned associations.
Method: We adopted a sample of 1285 adults aged 45 and above from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). We conducted descriptive statistics, multiple regression models and a path analysis based on a general structural equation model (GSEM). Results: Spousal religious difference was only associated with wives’ marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction was associated with depression and life satisfaction for both genders, and wives’ marital satisfaction had a stronger association with life satisfaction than husbands’. Wives’ marital satisfaction mediated the relationship between spousal religious difference and their psychological well-being, including depression and life satisfaction.
Discussion: This study calls for more further research on the individual and interpersonal outcomes of religiosity in middle-aged and older adults. Gender differences should be paid attention to in academic research, service provision and clinical settings.
Method: We adopted a sample of 1285 adults aged 45 and above from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). We conducted descriptive statistics, multiple regression models and a path analysis based on a general structural equation model (GSEM). Results: Spousal religious difference was only associated with wives’ marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction was associated with depression and life satisfaction for both genders, and wives’ marital satisfaction had a stronger association with life satisfaction than husbands’. Wives’ marital satisfaction mediated the relationship between spousal religious difference and their psychological well-being, including depression and life satisfaction.
Discussion: This study calls for more further research on the individual and interpersonal outcomes of religiosity in middle-aged and older adults. Gender differences should be paid attention to in academic research, service provision and clinical settings.
| Original language | English |
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| Publication status | Published - 3 Dec 2022 |
| Event | Hong Kong Sociological Association 23rd Annual Conference: Health and Wellbeing in (Post-) Pandemic Times - Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China Duration: 3 Dec 2022 → 3 Dec 2022 Conference number: 23 https://www.ln.edu.hk/socsp/news-and-events/conferences |
Conference
| Conference | Hong Kong Sociological Association 23rd Annual Conference |
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| Country/Territory | China |
| City | Hong Kong |
| Period | 3/12/22 → 3/12/22 |
| Other | As an unprecedented public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has become the focal concern of sociologists around the world. Globally, there have been over six hundred million confirmed cases, including over six million of deaths. Over the past few years, we have experienced the tremendous impacts brought by the pandemic on various domains of life. Apart from infected and death cases, we have seen a surge of mental health issues, suicides, domestic violence, as well as plummeting economic growth and escalating unemployment and poverty rates. Whether to embrace the “new normal” by easing public health and social distancing measures is a contentious issue as much among world leaders as ordinary citizens. From a sociological perspective, most impacts brought by the pandemic are believed to be structural and long lasting. As not everyone has equal access to vaccines, personal protective equipment, healthcare and other resources, health and social inequalities are expected to be worsening. There are also concerns about the lack of affordable childcare and technological equipment for attending online classes during pandemic times, which would have lingering effects on education, digital, and social inequalities across generations. Against this background, this conference aims to address the pressing issues of health and wellbeing in pandemic and post-pandemic times from a sociological perspective. It provides a platform for scholars, students, and other stakeholders to discuss the implications of the pandemic for health and social inequalities among other issues. On that basis, participants will explore practical and policy responses to enhance health and wellbeing in the (post-)pandemic condition. |
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