The Moderating Effect of Positive Social Relations on Middle-Aged Adults’ Mental Wellbeing during Recession Hardships

Background:

Social support is often measured by the frequency of social interactions, yet recent research emphasizes the significance of its quality—particularly having trusted individuals with whom one can share difficulties and concerns. During economic recessions, individuals often encounter various forms of hardship. Interpersonal theories posit that the nature of individuals' interactions with significant others profoundly influences their sense of security and the quality of supportive relationships. However, the extent to which positive social relations can mitigate adversity, such as financial and environmental challenges, through emotional connections and practical assistance remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate the types of financial and environmental difficulties experienced by individuals during a recession and to explore how positive social relations moderate the impact of these challenges on the mental wellbeing of middle-aged adults.

Methods:

Community-dwelling adults (n=3,294) participated in data collection (MIDUS 3) and the analytic data was from 1,087 respondents who were aged 50 to 64 at that time and answered all study-relevant questionnaires, including their experiences of financial and environmental challenges during recession. Latent class analysis was used to identify distinct patterns of recession-related difficulties based on 26 survey items related to employment, housing, debt, and other financial stressors. Mental health was assessed using a self-rated 5-point Likert scale. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to explore the impact of recession experience patterns on mental health and the moderating role of positive social relationships in the association between the patterns of recession experiences and mental health, after controlling for age, gender, race, marital status, education, income, poverty, living arrangements, and physical health.

Results:

Latent class analysis identified five distinct patterns of recession experiences: individuals facing severe difficulties, job transitions, financial hardships, burdensome homebuying with reduced debts, and those experiencing minimal challenges. Multiple regression analysis revealed that individuals encountering various difficulties, job transitions, and financial hardships reported poorer mental health outcomes compared to those without recession-related challenges. This finding was consistent even when positive social relationships were included in the model, indicating that individuals with positive relationships showed enhanced mental wellbeing. In the moderating model, however, individuals with positive social relationships exhibited higher levels of mental wellbeing regardless of any types of recession-related difficulty they experienced.

Conclusions:

The study findings highlight the pivotal role of positive social relationships in safeguarding the mental wellbeing of middle-aged adults during times of economic downturns. The research delineates five distinct recession experience patterns, each associated with varying levels of mental health outcomes. Specifically, individuals facing severe difficulties, job transitions, or financial hardships reported poorer mental health compared to those experiencing minimal challenges. Notably, positive social relationships emerged as a significant moderator, consistently enhancing mental wellbeing irrespective of the specific recession-related challenges individuals encountered. Future research and interventions may need to prioritize efforts to strengthen social support networks as a means of mitigating the adverse psychological effects and enhancing resilience of recession-related stress within this demographic.