Exploring the Connection Between Functional Social Support, Marital Status, and Memory from the Perspective of Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVE

We undertook a qualitative descriptive study to explore participants' perceptions of whether marital status shapes how functional social support (FSS) relates to memory.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 community-dwelling middle-aged and older people representing various marital status categories. Each interview was audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed.

FINDINGS: Participants did not perceive marital status to shape the FSS-memory relationship. Three themes emerged to explain this view: learning to cope - participants used alternatives besides a spouse to deal with memory challenges; context matters - factors such as marital satisfaction must be considered; and doing more harm than good - some spouses may provide excessive support, reducing participants' autonomy to stimulate their own cognitive processes.

DISCUSSION: These themes highlight that marital relationships are complex and that contextual factors such as marital quality and support adequacy should be considered to provide a comprehensive understanding of how social and marital dynamics shape cognitive trajectories in aging populations.