The role of gender in the association between sensory impairments and well-being, depression symptoms, and relationship satisfaction among older adults

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the impact of sensory impairments on well-being, depression symptoms, and relationship satisfaction among older adults, and to examine whether these associations vary by gender.

METHOD: The study analyzed a sample of 640 Danish individuals aged 60 and older. Multilevel modeling was conducted using PROC MIXED in SAS to assess the impact of sensory impairments on well-being, depression symptoms, and relationship satisfaction. A two-step approach was employed to evaluate the main effects and interaction terms of sensory impairments and gender, controlling for covariates such as age, education, and relationship length.

RESULTS: Both vision and hearing impairments were significantly associated with lower well-being and higher depression symptoms in men and women. However, a gender difference was observed for the association between vision impairment and relationship satisfaction: greater vision impairment was associated with lower relationship satisfaction among men but not among women.

CONCLUSION: The findings add nuance to the understanding of how sensory impairments may affect older men and women, highlighting both gender similarities and differences. The study also discusses possible interpretations of the findings, suggesting that social and cultural factors may influence how sensory impairments affect mental and relational health outcomes differently for men and women.