The Spillover Effects of the Spouse's Retirement on Depression: Evidence From Chinese Middle-Aged and Older Adult Couples.

This study investigates how a spouse's retirement influences an individual's depression among Chinese urban-worker couples, focusing on both direct effects—through changes in household resources and health investment—and indirect effects via the social interaction (contagion) of couples' depression. Using panel data from the 2010–2018 China Family Panel Studies and employing a Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity design combined with simultaneous equations, the research finds that a spouse’s retirement generally improves the other’s depression, with direct spillover effects being stronger than indirect ones. Gender differences are notable: husbands’ depression improves following wives’ retirement, likely due to increased care and companionship, while wives’ depression worsens after husbands’ retirement, mainly because of reduced household income and constrained health investment. The study also reveals that spouses’ depression levels are significantly interrelated, with wives’ depression more susceptible to husbands’ depressive symptoms, highlighting the importance of considering intrahousehold dynamics and gender roles in retirement and mental health policies.