Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Urban Chinese Women: The Buffering and Exacerbating Roles of Marital Quality

Background/Objectives: This study examines the moderating effect of marital quality on the association between perceived stress and depressive symptoms among married women residing in urban China, guided by the stress process model. Methods: Using data from the 2020 Family and Health Survey conducted in Chengdu and Beijing, the current study analyzed responses from 1865 married women. Marital quality was measured using two dimensions: positive marital interaction and marital disagreement. Ordinary Least Squares regression analyses showed that higher perceived stress was significantly associated with elevated depressive symptoms. Results: Notably, positive marital interaction buffered the association between perceived stress and depressive symptoms, whereas marital disagreement exacerbated this association. Conclusions: These findings underscore the dual role of marital quality in buffering or exacerbating the association between perceived stress and depressive symptoms, highlighting the importance of promoting marital quality as a potential approach to improving the psychological well-being of urban Chinese women.