Depressive Symptoms in the Mid- and Old-aged People in China

Objective To determine the prevalence and determinants of depressive symptoms in the mid- and old-aged people in China. Methods Data were extracted from the 2013 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS),which containthe Center Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale(CES-D). Binary logistic regression models were developed to identify factors associated with the prevalence of depression symptoms. These included socio-economic status of the respondents (gender, age, education),health-related factors (chronic diseases, disability, accident injury, and fall in recent two years),and family events over the past two years (deaths of a parent, spouse or child). Results About 31.9% of respondents had depressive symptoms, with a mean CES-D score of 8.0±4.9.Women and those who were younger than 75 years, widowed, resided in a rural area, had low levels of education, and suffered from multiple chronic conditions were more likely to have depressive symptoms than the others. Conclusion High prevalence of depressive symptoms in the mid- and old-aged population in China is evident, which is associated with the health and socio-economic status of the population.