Abstract
BackgroundDepression is regarded as a major public health concern in our society. While living arrangements as a structural factor of social support may contribute to older adults’ depression. Our study aims to investigate the association between living arrangements and depressive symptoms among older adults in the whole China, and to explore whether such influences differ by genders.MethodsData were obtained from the 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The sample was comprised of 6001 individuals aged ≥60 years. Depressive symptoms were measured by the 10-item Short-Form Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression. Independent variables were divided into 4 groups, considering living with/without a spouse and living with/without a child. The multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the relationship between living arrangements and depressive symptoms in four models.ResultsCompared with living only with a spouse, people living with a spouse and child, or living alone were more likely to have depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 1.23 95% CI 1.06–1.42 and 1.40 95% CI 1.03–1.92, respectively). Women were more associated with depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 2.13), but there were no significant associations between living arrangements and depressive symptoms among women. Men living with a spouse and a child had stronger positively depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 1.37).ConclusionsOlder adults living alone, or living with both a child and spouse were more likely to have depressive symptoms. It is important to provide more social services for those older adult, particularly for men living with a spouse and child.
Highlights
Depression is regarded as a major public health concern in our society
Study population Data were derived from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a nationally representative cohort study, including a mix of urban and rural settings and a wide variety of levels of economic development, followed up every 2 years since 2011 to serve the needs of scientific research on the elderly aged 45 and older The samples were selected through multistage probability sampling
After controlling for the sociodemographic variables in model 2, we found that only older adults living with a spouse and a child had positive significantly effect in depressive symptoms, compared with those living only with a spouse
Summary
Depression is regarded as a major public health concern in our society. Our study aims to investigate the association between living arrangements and depressive symptoms among older adults in the whole China, and to explore whether such influences differ by genders. Depression is regarded as a major public health concern and may become the second most common cause of disability by 2020, trailing only heart disease [1]. Depression causes great suffering, decreases physical and social functioning, and even increases the Depression, the major chronic disease currently, has been proved to be associated with genetic [5], behavioral, physical activity [6], quality of sleep [7] and the health condition like chronic diseases [5]. Living arrangements as a structural factor of social support may contribute to older adults’ depression.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.