Depressive symptomatology in middle-aged and older married couples: A dyadic analysis

Objectives. Depressive symptomatology has been frequently conceptualized as an individual matter. but social contextual models argue that symptom leve ls are likely to covary in close relationships. The present study investiga ted correlation between spouses' depressive symptomatology in middle-aged a nd older married couples, the influence of gender and race/ethnicity in pre dicting variability in symptom level. and the importance of individual-leve l covariates (education. health, and age) and couple-level covariates (hous ehold income and net worth). Methods. Results were based on secondary analysis of Wave I interviews with White, Black. and Mexican American married couples (N = 5,423) from the He alth and Retirement Study MRS) and the Study of Asset and Health Dynamics A mong the Oldest Old (AHEAD). Dyadic data from husbands and wives were analy zed with multilevel modeling. Results. Husbands' and wives' depressive symptoms were moderately correlate d. gender and race/ethnicity (and their interaction) predicted depressive s ymptoms, and both individual-level and couple-level characteristics were si gnificant covariates. Similarities as well as differences are noted between the HRS and AHEAD results. Discussion. Results highlight the importance of dyadic data and multilevel models for understanding depressive symptomatology in married couples. The influence of race/ethnicity merits greater attention in future research. Di fferences in findings between HRS and AHEAD suggest life-course, cohort, or methodological influences.