{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]],"date-time":"2026-10-19T10:42:56Z","timestamp":1792406576610,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":106,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]],"date-time":"2026-10-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1792368000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":291,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["82103956"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["82103956"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["cambridge.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Psychol. Med."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0033291726106382_sec1\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>China\u2019s aging population faces increased prevalence in mid- and later life depression, with married middle-aged and older women vulnerable due to disproportionate caregiving and socioeconomic stress. Although emotional contagion between partners is well-documented, pathways through which depressive symptoms spread between these spouses remain unclear. This study examines the directional predictive patterns of depressive symptoms, wives to husbands specifically, within middle-aged and older Chinese couples.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0033291726106382_sec2\" sec-type=\"methods\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Using the 2011\u20132013 longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we analyzed 2,578 heterosexual couples aged 45\u00a0years or older. Depressive symptoms were assessed at two time points using the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D-10). Cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) modeling estimated temporal changes in predictive pathways of each spouse\u2019s symptoms in the other\u2019s, capturing intra-personal symptom interactions and inter-spousal predictive dynamics while comparing patterns between couples.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0033291726106382_sec3\" sec-type=\"results\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Distinct symptom networks emerged for husbands and wives, with wives\u2019 emotional states showing stronger cross-partner predictive associations, highlighting gender-specific patterns. Wives\u2019 fearfulness emerged as a critical bridge symptom, significantly predicting increases in husbands\u2019 depressive symptoms. Overall, significant cross-spousal spillover associations were observed; emotional contagion patterns were notably asymmetric, showing more pronounced symptom predictions from wives to husbands.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"S0033291726106382_sec4\" sec-type=\"conclusions\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Findings indicate bidirectional associations of depressive symptoms with significant gender disparities in symptom dynamics among middle-aged and older couples, highlighting the necessity for gender-sensitive, relationship-focused research and interventions. Dyadic network analysis provides new insights into depression dynamics, advocating approaches addressing relational factors with individual symptoms in mental health strategies for China\u2019s aging population.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1017\/s0033291726106382","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,19]],"date-time":"2026-10-19T09:57:52Z","timestamp":1792403872000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/policypage","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Mapping emotional contagion: directional predictive patterns of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older Chinese couples"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"56","author":[{"given":"Diyang","family":"Qu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03cve4549","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Tsinghua 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