The effect of having a spouse on the mortality risk in later life --Empirical evidence from China

Abstract

Abstract Purpose Examines the impact of the presence or absence of a spouse on the risk of death among older Chinese people and explores issues such as differences in mortality risk among different populations. Method Using the five-period longitudinal data of the China Health Impact Survey on the Elderly (CLHLS) from 2005 to 2018 as the basis, a Cox risk regression model was constructed using the Chinese elderly population aged 65 to 105 years as the study population, with the risk of death among the elderly as the dependent variable and the presence of a spouse among the elderly as the core independent variable. Results Controlling for variables such as individual characteristics of the elderly, socio-economic characteristics and health status, the presence or absence of a spouse had a significant effect on the risk of death in older people, with older people with a spouse having a 45.2% lower risk of death than older people without a spouse, an effect that was more prevalent in older people, older people who were male, older people in rural areas, and older people without financial support from children or pension support. Further analysis of the risk of death without a spouse was widowed > divorced > unmarried. Conclusion Based on a sample of older people in China, we found that having a partner in later life is a worthwhile life goal, i.e. having a partner in old age is effective in reducing the risk of death in later life and is an important factor in coping with ageing and enjoying a high quality of life in later life. Being divorced, widowed and single is detrimental to health, especially in older, male, rural and insecure older people. To reduce the negative impact of spouselessness in later life on the risk of death in old age, we need to focus on the elderly, male elderly, rural elderly and the insecure elderly.