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Open Access 01-05-2018 | Brief Report

The Possible Protective Effect of Marital Status in Quality of Life Among Elders in a U.S.-Mexico Border City

Authors: Marisela Gutiérrez-Vega, Oscar Armando Esparza-Del Villar, Irene Concepción Carrillo-Saucedo, Priscila Montañez-Alvarado

Published in: Community Mental Health Journal | Issue 4/2018

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine how marital status may have an impact on quality of life in a group of older adults living in a U.S.-Mexico border city. Two-hundred and seventy-six older adults completed the Spanish version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment, composed of four domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. Participants answered a measure of sociodemographic variables. In the psychological health component of quality of life, single and married older adults had the highest scores as compared to widowed and divorced. Similarly, married older adults had the highest quality of life in social relationships. Marital status may play an important role when analyzing quality of life among older adults, this study suggests that being married may offer a protective mechanism against depressive symptoms and therefore against mental illnesses during late adulthood.

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Title: The Possible Protective Effect of Marital Status in Quality of Life Among Elders in a U.S.-Mexico Border City
Authors: Marisela Gutiérrez-Vega
Oscar Armando Esparza-Del Villar
Irene Concepción Carrillo-Saucedo
Priscila Montañez-Alvarado
Publication date: 01-05-2018
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Community Mental Health Journal / Issue 4/2018
Print ISSN: 0010-3853
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2789
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0166-z

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