The Moderating Role of Control Strategies on the Relationship between Negative Emotions and QoL in the Elderly: A Longitudinal Study

Maintaining optimal quality of life (QoL) is a pivotal for “successful aging”. Understanding how the QoL of the elderly develops and what role psychological factors play in its development will help improve QoL from a psychological perspective. Embedded within the lifespan theory of control, this longitudinal study aimed to (1) map the temporal trajectory of QoL among Chinese older adults, (2) examine differential effects of tripartite negative emotions (stress, anxiety, depression), and (3) test the moderating role of control strategies (goal engagement, goal disengagement, self-protection) in emotion-QoL dynamics. A prospective cohort of 345 community-dwelling older adults (Mage = 83.84 ± 8.49 years; 55.1% female) completed validated measures—SF-36 for QoL, DASS-21 for negative emotions, and an adapted Control Strategies Questionnaire (CAS)—at three waves spanning 12 months. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) with time-nested structure analyzed intraindividual changes and interindividual differences. QoL exhibited a significant linear decline over time (β = −4.75, p < 0.001). Stress (β = −14.12, p < 0.001) and anxiety (β = −11.24, p < 0.001) robustly predicted QoL decline, whereas depression showed no significant effect. Control strategies had divergent associations: goal engagement (β = 3.51, p < 0.001) and self-protection (β = 2.38, p = 0.015) predicted higher baseline QoL, while goal disengagement accelerated decline (β = −7.00, p < 0.001; interaction with time: β = −2.46, p < 0.001). Contrary to hypotheses, control strategies did not moderate emotion-QoL associations (ΔR2 = 0.02, p = 0.21). The results showed that stress and anxiety played an important role in the QoL of the elderly. At the same time, goal engagement and self-protection were beneficial to the QoL of the elderly, while goal disengagement was not conducive to QoL and its development among the elderly. Meanwhile, the negative effect of anxiety and stress on the QoL of the elderly was not affected by the control strategies.