Gender,harmony,and face: Latent profile moderation testing culture-marriage links in older couples with mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

This study examines how configurations of gender ideology, harmony, and face beliefs within older Hong Kong couples relate to marital satisfaction, focusing specifically on couples where one partner is living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Drawing upon the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation Model and Ambivalent Sexism Theory, we conducted latent profile analysis using dyadic survey data collected from 202 community-dwelling, older adult couples between May 2024 and January 2025. Four distinct belief configurations emerged: “Harmony Hubs,” “Tradition Anchors,” “Harmony Pursuing Patient with Tradition Keeper,” and “Tradition Guardian Patient with Harmony Voyager.” Couples classified as “Harmony Hubs,” characterized by high levels of harmony and low levels of traditional gender ideology and face concern, reported greater marital satisfaction. The implications of the “Tradition Guardian Patient with Harmony Voyager” configuration differed according to gender identity (male patient–female caregiver vs. female patient–male caregiver dyads), linking to higher marital satisfaction in male patient–female caregiver dyads but lower marital satisfaction in female patient–male caregiver dyads. Collectively, these findings underscore the constraining effects of ambivalent sexism on both genders and highlight the necessity for culturally and gender-sensitive interventions to maintain marital satisfaction in aging societies facing cognitive decline.