Measurement invariance of the short form CES-D among old adults living alone in China

Abstract

ABSTRACT As China faces a rapidly ageing population and an increasing prevalence of depressive symptoms among older adults, particularly those living alone, the need for accurate screening tools becomes paramount. This study aimed to examine the measurement invariance of the Chinese version of the CES-D-10 among older adults living alone. The final sample of older adults aged 65 years and older (N = 2,014) was from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) in 2018. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multigroup CFA were used in the data analysis procedure. The findings showed that the 2-factor model (positive and negative emotions) fit the data best. The configure, metric, intercept and residual invariance models were all acceptable. This study discusses the implications of the findings in social work.