Objective  To understand the status of depression and its influencing factors in the middle-aged and older adult populations aged 45 and above in China on the basis of data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), and to provide empirical evidence for the improvement of the mental health of the middle-aged and older adults and the alleviation of their depressive symptoms.

  Methods  The source of the research data was the 2018 CFPS. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was used to assess the prevalence of depression. A two-level two-category unconditional logistics regression method was used to analyze the influencing factors of the prevalence of depressive symptoms.

  Results  The 80th percentile interval score of depression score was used as the critical value, and the detection rate of depressive symptoms was 23.61%. It was more likely for women to suffer from depressive symptoms than it was for men. Widowed individuals were at an even higher risk for having depression. The more education one had, the lower the possibility of developing depression. Middle-aged and older adults in rural areas were more likely to suffer from depression. Middle-aged and older adults with chronic diseases and self-rated poor health were at higher risk of depression. Sleep time is a protective factor that suppressed symptoms. After controlling the above-mentioned individual-level factors, middle-aged and older adults in coastal and economically developed areas were less likely to suffer from depression than those from inland and economically underdeveloped areas did.

  Conclusion  The health departments concerned should focus on the depressive symptoms of women, widowed individuals, and middle-aged and older adults with chronic diseases. In rural areas and underdeveloped inland regions, the state should invest more health resources in the prevention and improvement of depression among middle-aged and older adults.