Shielded by Education? The Buffering Role of Education in the Relationships Between Changes in Mental Health and Physical Functioning Through Time Among Older Europeans

Jason Settels

doi:10.1177/07334648241271993

Shielded by Education? The Buffering Role of Education in the Relationships Between Changes in Mental Health and Physical Functioning Through Time Among Older Europeans

Jason Settels^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

This study investigated among older Europeans how physical function limitations lead to depressive symptoms and reductions in quality of life and well-being, and vice-versa. Further examined was how years of education moderate these relationships. These objectives were pursued using a sample of Europeans aged 50+ years (N = 46,492) within waves 5 (2013) and 6 (2015) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The analyses employed conditional change multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions. Mental health was found to affect physical function limitations, and vice-versa. More education significantly reduced only how earlier mental health problems lead to later physical function limitations, plausibly because of the former’s higher controllability. Thus highlighted are education-linked psychosocial resources’ protective effects.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	351-363
Number of pages	13
Journal	Journal of Applied Gerontology
Volume	44
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648241271993
Publication status	Published - Mar 2025
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

depressive symptoms
education
physical function limitations
quality of life
stress process

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10.1177/07334648241271993Licence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

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title = "Shielded by Education? The Buffering Role of Education in the Relationships Between Changes in Mental Health and Physical Functioning Through Time Among Older Europeans",

abstract = "This study investigated among older Europeans how physical function limitations lead to depressive symptoms and reductions in quality of life and well-being, and vice-versa. Further examined was how years of education moderate these relationships. These objectives were pursued using a sample of Europeans aged 50+ years (N = 46,492) within waves 5 (2013) and 6 (2015) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The analyses employed conditional change multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions. Mental health was found to affect physical function limitations, and vice-versa. More education significantly reduced only how earlier mental health problems lead to later physical function limitations, plausibly because of the former{\textquoteright}s higher controllability. Thus highlighted are education-linked psychosocial resources{\textquoteright} protective effects.",

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AB - This study investigated among older Europeans how physical function limitations lead to depressive symptoms and reductions in quality of life and well-being, and vice-versa. Further examined was how years of education moderate these relationships. These objectives were pursued using a sample of Europeans aged 50+ years (N = 46,492) within waves 5 (2013) and 6 (2015) of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The analyses employed conditional change multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions. Mental health was found to affect physical function limitations, and vice-versa. More education significantly reduced only how earlier mental health problems lead to later physical function limitations, plausibly because of the former’s higher controllability. Thus highlighted are education-linked psychosocial resources’ protective effects.

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Shielded by Education? The Buffering Role of Education in the Relationships Between Changes in Mental Health and Physical Functioning Through Time Among Older Europeans

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Keywords

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