Relationship of widowhood with pulse pressure, fasting blood glucose, and mental health in older adults: a propensity matching score analysis

Front Public Health. 2023 Oct 25:11:1257133. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1257133. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Background: Transitioning from marriage to widowhood presents inevitable and significant challenges for many older adults. This study explored the impact of widowhood on a range of mental health outcomes, including pulse pressure and fasting blood glucose levels, among older adults in nursing homes.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized cluster random sampling to recruit participants, with data analyzed from 388 older Chinese adults. Psychosocial traits were assessed using the Perceived Social Support from Family scale (PSS-Fa) for family support, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to control for confounding factors. A multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship between widowhood, mental health outcomes, pulse pressure, and fasting blood glucose levels.

Results: After applying PSM, the sample size was refined to 268 (N = 134 for both married and widowed groups) from the initial 388, excluding 120 unmatched cases. Widowed older adults were found to have notably lower family support (β = -0.81, p = 0.002), increased depressive symptoms (β = 1.04, p = 0.043), elevated pulse pressure (β = 8.90, p < 0.001), and higher fasting blood glucose levels (β = 3.22, p = 0.027). These associations exhibited greater beta values compared to pre-matching analysis.

Conclusion: Our findings revealed that widowed participants had reduced family support, an increased risk of depressive symptoms, heightened pulse pressure, and elevated fasting blood glucose in comparison to their married counterparts. Interventions focusing on social support, mental health, and cardiovascular well-being could be advantageous for this at-risk group.

Keywords: fasting blood glucose; mental health; older adults; pulse pressure; widowhood.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Blood Glucose
  • Blood Pressure
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mental Health
  • Middle Aged
  • Propensity Score
  • Widowhood*

Substances

  • Blood Glucose

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the General Project of Clinical Basic Research, Nantong University (2022JY003), The first phase of “Research and Innovation Team Project” of Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University (KD2022KYCXTD006), the nursing Research Project of Nantong University (2022HY003), and the Special project on Novel Coronavirus Infection of Nantong First People’s Hospital (YXGZX007). Evaluate the efficacy, safety and economy of Azovudine in the treatment of patients with novel coronavirus infection based on the real world(YXGZX007). A Study on the Health Status of Elderly Care Home Patients in Nantong under the Background of Epidemic (YXGZX008).