Abstract
AbstractThis paper investigates the association between accumulated major lifecourse adversities and later-life depressive symptoms among older people in England, both at a single point in time (prevalence) and the onset over time during later life (incidence), using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Using retrospective data on the experience of major life adversities from childhood onwards, five latent classes were identified: no/few lifecourse adversities (58.6%), lost relationship (27.0%), chained adversities (2.4%), childhood adversities (6.3%) and war-related adversities (5.7%). Older people who had experienced ‘chained adversities’, ‘childhood adversities’ and ‘a lost relationship’ had higher odds of presenting current depressive symptoms in 2006, even after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics, health-risk behaviours and social resources. Longitudinal analysis indicated that amongst respondents who were clear of depression in 2006, those older people who had experienced childhood adversities, a lost relationship and war-related adversities experienced a higher risk of having a new case of depressive symptoms. Results further indicate that women's mental health in later life is more sensitive to earlier life adversities than men's. The study shows that intervention earlier in the lifecourse may have benefits for the individual both contemporaneously and over the longer term.
Highlights
Depression is the most common mental disorder in later life, affecting people’s quality of daily life and functioning
The Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC), adjusted BIC (A-BIC) and p values for the LMR likelihood ratio test and Vuong-Lo-Mendell-Rubin likelihood ratio test (vLMR) likelihood ratio test indicated that the five-class model was statistically the most feasible model, though a four-class solution might work better if p values of the LMR likelihood ratio test and vLMR likelihood ratio test were set at 0.01
This study characterised a typology of accumulated lifecourse adversities based on latent class analysis (LCA) and investigated the associations between types of adversities and mental health in later life
Summary
Depression is the most common mental disorder in later life, affecting people’s quality of daily life and functioning. By taking a more holistic perspective of entire lifecourse adversities experience, it provides new evidence on the relationship between accumulated major life adversities and depressive symptoms amongst communitydwelling older people aged 50 and over in England at a single point in time (2006). It provides new insights into the persistent effect of major life adversities as a risk factor for the onset of depression during later life, following older individuals who are clear of depression at the baseline over an eight-year period (2006– 2014). It evidences the differences of such relationships by gender
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