Publication date: Jun 25, 2025
Using longitudinal data from Wave 9 (2018/19) and two COVID-19 sub-studies of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N = 4994), we examined how partnership status and relationship quality in the early months of the pandemic (June/July 2020) related to depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction (November/December 2020) among older people. Associations were analyzed using logistic regression models while controlling for socioeconomic and demographic factors as well as pre-pandemic mental health. We found that respondents in poor-quality partnerships reported higher depression (OR = 2. 79, 95% CI = 2. 07-3. 76), anxiety (OR = 2. 62, 95% CI = 1. 74-3. 94), and low life satisfaction (OR = 2. 19, 95% CI = 1. 67-2. 86) than those in fair partnerships. Results also indicate that better partnership quality was associated with better mental health, while being in a poor partnership was as detrimental to mental health as not having a cohabiting partner. Relationship quality is important for mental health, particularly when policies restricting contact and mobility may exacerbate relational issues.
| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| English | anxiety |
| June | cohabiting partner |
| Models | depression |
| November | life satisfaction |
| Pandemic | longitudinal |
| relationship quality |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | IDO | quality |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 Pandemic |
| disease | MESH | depression |
| disease | MESH | anxiety |
| drug | DRUGBANK | Tropicamide |