Symptoms of depression are related to sedentary behavior and sleep duration in elderly individuals: A cross-sectional study of 49,317 older Chinese adults

Examining the connection between weekend catch-up sleep and depression: Insights from 2017 to 2020 NHANES information

BACKGROUND

Depression, a prevalent mental disorder, has shown an increasing trend in recent years, imposing a significant burden on health and society. Adequate sleep has been proven to reduce the incidence of depression. This study seeks to explore how Weekend Catch-up Sleep (WCS) is connected with the prevalence of depression in the American population.

METHODS

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) provides representative data for the U.S.

POPULATION

We utilized data from the 2017-2018 and 2019-2020 cycles. Depression was operationally defined as a PHQ-9 score exceeding 10. WCS duration was categorized into five groups: no change in sleep duration (=0 h), decreased sleep duration (<0), short catch-up sleep duration (>0 h, ≤1 h), moderate catch-up sleep duration (>1 h, <2 h), and long catch-up sleep duration (≥2 h).

RESULTS

Among the 8039 individuals, the distribution of WCS duration was as follows: no change (WCS = 0 h) in 2999 individuals (37.3 %), decreased sleep (WCS < 0 h) in 1199 individuals (14.9 %), short catch-up sleep (0 h < WCS ≤ 1 h) in 1602 individuals (19.9 %), moderate catch-up sleep (1 h < WCS < 2 h) in 479 individuals (6.0 %), and long catch-up sleep (WCS ≥ 2 h) in 1760 individuals (21.9 %). Acting by adjustment for all covariates in a multiple regression analysis, we discovered that persons with 1 to 2 h of weekend catch-up sleep had a substantially low prevalence of depression concerning those with WCS = 0 (OR 0.22, 95 % CI 0.08-0.59, P = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of depression in individuals engaging in weekend catch-up sleep for 1 to 2 h is lower than those who do not catch up on weekends. This discovery on the treatment and prevention of depression provides a new perspective. However, further prospective research and clinical trials are needed for a comprehensive investigation.

Nonlinear relationships between sleep duration, mental health, and quality of life: The dangers of less sleep versus more sleep

BACKGROUND

Recent research has found a non-linear relationship between sleep duration and mental health/quality of life. However, it is currently unclear which age group is more affected by sleep duration and what the optimal sleep duration is for each age group. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms of the non-linear relationship between sleep duration and quality of life are not well understood.

METHODS

Therefore, this study utilized questionnaire data from 20,962 participants in the Chinese PBICR-2022 database(Cross-sectional study) and constructed models to analyze the relationship between sleep duration and quality of life.

RESULTS

The results showed that the optimal sleep duration varied among different age groups: approximately 9 h for adolescents, 8 h for early/middle-aged adults, and 7 h for older adults. Compared to other age groups, less or more sleep duration had a greater impact on mental health and quality of life in adolescents. Furthermore, mental health was found to play a significant mediating role between sleep duration and quality of life in both the less sleep group and the more sleep group, but this mediating effect was not significant among the older adults in the less sleep group, whereas the mediating effect of mental health was not significant among the middle-aged adults in the more sleep group.

CONCLUSIONS

This suggests that different age groups have different optimal sleep duration, and age may be an important factor influencing the relationship between sleep duration and mental health/quality of life, with mental health playing a mediating role in the relationship between sleep duration and quality of life.

Instrumental activities of daily living function and cognitive status among Chinese older adults: a serial multiple mediation model

Objective

This study aimed to develop and validate a serial multiple mediation model to investigate the association between instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) function and cognitive status among older adults while exploring the underlying mechanisms.

Methods

This cross-sectional study involved 3,665 individuals aged 60 years and older who participated in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS). A serial multiple mediation model was utilized to explore the direct and indirect relationship between IADL function and cognitive status and whether sleep duration, social engagement, and depressive symptoms mediated this relationship.

Results

Decreased IADL function was associated with worse cognitive status [effect = -0.620, 95% CI: (-0.692, -0.540)]. Sleep duration, social participation (SP), and depressive symptoms all acted as mediators in the relationship between IADL function and cognitive status.

Conclusion

This study found both direct and indirect associations between IADL function and cognitive status, providing new insights into the effective prevention and intervention of cognitive decline among older adults.

Bidirectional associations between dietary diversity and depressive symptoms in Chinese adult women: A retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the bidirectional associations between dietary diversity and clinical depressive symptoms in adult women, and influencing factors of clinical depressive symptoms.

METHODS

This longitudinal study included a total of 22,385 participants, each of whom underwent at least two data collections. We used convenience sampling to recruit women from a health management center of a general hospital in southern China from April 2015 to December 2021. They completed an online self-reported health questionnaire, which included demographic characteristics, lifestyle information, the Dietary Diversity Scale (DDS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

RESULTS

New-onset depressive symptoms and low dietary diversity were observed in this study among 1285 and 3223 participants, respectively. Negative associations were observed between baseline low dietary diversity and new-onset depressive symptoms (P < 0.05) and between baseline depressive symptoms and low dietary diversity (P < 0.001). Cross-lagged panel analysis indicated that dietary diversity negatively and prospectively predicted depressive symptoms, but vice versa (P < 0.05). Strong evidence of a nonlinear association between DDS scores and incident depressive symptoms was found (P nonlinear < 0.05) regardless of whether the variables were adjusted. Besides, age, menarche age, physical activity, sleep duration, longer sedentary behavior and other lifestyle factors were influencing factors of depressive symptoms (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study identified bidirectional associations between dietary diversity and depressive symptoms, and the associations were found to have a non-linear pattern. Adherence to dietary diversity and a healthy lifestyle could be effective non-pharmacological preventive measures to reduce the incidence of depressive symptoms.

Protein-enriched and anti-inflammatory dietary patterns, healthy lifestyle index and depressive symptoms: A cross-sectional study of 287,945 adults in China

OBJECTIVES

Depressive symptoms have a considerable negative impact on mental health. This study aimed to understand the relationship between the protein-enriched and anti-inflammatory dietary index scores, modified healthy lifestyle index scores (Modified HLIS), and depressive symptoms.

METHODS

This study used convenience sampling to conduct a single-center cross-sectional survey. From January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2020, a total of 287,945 Chinese adults from a health management center of a general hospital completed an online self-reported health questionnaire, which included demographic characteristics, the Dietary Diversity Scale, the Modified Healthy Lifestyle Index Scores and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

RESULTS

The higher anti-inflammatory dietary index scores (POR = 0.87; 95 % CI: 0.86-0.87; p < 0.001), moderate modified healthy lifestyle index scores (POR = 0.76; 95 % CI: 0.75-0.78; p < 0.001) and sufficient modified healthy lifestyle index scores (POR = 0.53; 95 % CI: 0.52-0.54; p < 0.001) were negatively associated with depressive symptoms, while the higher protein-enriched dietary index scores (POR = 1.01; 95 % CI: 1.01-1.02; p < 0.001) was positively correlated with depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that protein-enriched and anti-inflammatory dietary index scores, and multiple healthy lifestyles are associated depressive symptoms in adults.

Association of sleep duration and risk of mental disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The effects of sleep duration on the development of mental illness remain controversial. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the effects of long or short sleep duration on psychological disorders, which could reveal new ways for preventing and treating mental health conditions cheaply.

METHODS

Identifying published papers was accomplished by using the following five English databases on March 16, 2022: PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science databases, and Scopus. Cross-sectional and cohort studies were considered if they evaluated the association of sleep duration with all kinds of mental illness in adults. We excluded case reports, editorials, narrative reviews, and studies without detailed information on sleep duration. Summary effect-size estimates were expressed as risk ratios (RRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals and were evaluated using random-effect models. Mantel-Haenszel's random-effects model was used to estimate the inconsistency index (I2) and Tau2 index (measurement of heterogeneity).

RESULTS

A total of 52 studies were included in this analysis, consisting of 14 cohort studies and 38 cross-sectional studies. These studies involved a combined sample size of 1,407,891 participants who met the inclusion criteria. Cohort (adjusted RR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.26-1.60, P < .001, I2 = 37.6%, Tau2 = 0.014) and cross-sectional studies (adjusted OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.57-1.77, P < .001, I2 = 79.7%, Tau2 = 0.060) concluded that short sleep duration increased mental disorder risks. The same conclusions were acquired in the subgroup analysis, especially for depression (adjusted RR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.24-1.65, P < .001, I2 = 80.4%, Tau2 = 0.082), anxiety (adjusted RR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.04-1.63, P = .002, I2 = 0.0%, Tau2 = 0.000), and PTSD (adjusted RR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.04-1.76, P = .022, I2 = 24.1%, Tau2 = 0.013) in cohort studies. The results of subgroup analysis indicated that long sleep duration was not a risk factor for depression (adjusted RR = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.98-1.34, P = .088, I2 = 63.4%, Tau2 = 0.045) and anxiety (adjusted RR = 1.37, 95% CI: 0.93-2.03, P = .114, I2 = 0.0%, Tau2 = 0.000).

CONCLUSIONS

Short sleep duration, not long sleep duration, is an independent predictor of developing mental disorders, particularly anxiety and depression.

Association between sleep duration and depression in menopausal women: a population-based study

Aims

This research investigated menopausal women older than 50 years to find whether there were any independent relationships between the duration of sleep they got and their prevalence of depression.

Methods

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) datasets from 2011-2020 were utilized in a cross-sectional study. Using multivariate linear regression models, the linear relationship between sleep duration and depression in menopausal women was investigated. Fitted smoothing curves and thresholds impact evaluation were used to investigate the nonlinear relationship. Then, subgroup analyses were performed according to smoking, drinking alcohol, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and moderate activities.

Results

This population-based study included a total of 3,897 menopausal women (mean age 65.47 ± 9.06 years) aged≥50 years; 3,159 had a depression score <10, and 738 had a depression score≥10. After controlling for all covariates, the prevalence of depression was 17% higher among participants with short sleep duration [OR=1.17, 95%CI=(0.65, 1.70), P<0.0001] and 86% [OR=1.86, 95%CI=(1.05, 2.66), P<0.0001] compared to participants with normal sleep duration. In subgroup analyses stratified by smoking and diabetes, the sleep duration and depression scores of non-smokers [β=-0.18, 95%CI= (-0.33, -0.02), P=0.0241] and diabetics were independently negatively correlated [β=-0.32, 95%CI= (-0.63, -0.01), P=0.0416]. Using a two-segment linear regression model, we discovered a U-shaped relationship between sleep duration and depression scores with an inflection point of 7.5 hours. Less than 7.5 hours of sleep was associated with an increased risk of developing depression [β=-0.81, 95%CI= (-1.05, -0.57), P<0.001]. However, sleeping more than 7.5 hours per night increased the risk of depression considerably [β=0.80, 95%CI= (0.51, 1.08), P<0.001].

Conclusions

Depression is associated with sleep duration in menopausal women. Insufficient or excessive sleep may increase the risk of depression in menopausal women.

Multiple geriatric syndromes in community-dwelling older adults in China

This study aims to assess the prevalence of geriatric syndromes and identify factors associated with multiple geriatric syndromes in community-dwelling older adults in China. We utilized a convenience sampling method to recruit older adults and from one rural and one urban community in Chengdu, China, from October 2022 to March 2023. A total of 706 older adults aged 60 years or older were included. Ten geriatric syndromes were investigated including two mental disorders: depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment; and eight somatic disorders: pain, falls, sleep disturbance, constipation, polypharmacy, multimorbidity, malnutrition and frailty. Multiple geriatric syndromes were defined as an individual having two or more geriatric syndromes. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics. The independent risk factors for multiple geriatric syndromes were assessed using a logistic regression model. This study found that 90.5% of the participants had at least one geriatric syndrome, with 72.8% experiencing multiple geriatric syndromes. The top four geriatric syndromes in our study were polypharmacy (58.5%), malnutrition/at risk of malnutrition (43.1%), multimorbidity (42.1%), and frailty/prefrailty (34.3%). Of the older adults, 368(52.1%) had only somatic disorders, 18(2.5%) had only mental disorders and 253 (35.8%) had somatic-mental disorders. According to the logistic regression analysis, residence, age, marriage, BMI, and self-related health were significantly associated with multiple geriatric syndromes among older adults. This study highlights that multiple geriatric syndromes are prevalent among community-dwelling older adults in China, and underscores the significance of certain demographic factors in their occurrence. Future longitudinal studies are needed to establish the temporal relationship between multiple geriatric syndromes and these demographic factors, as well as to explore causal relationships and effective prevention strategies for geriatric syndrome.

Unhealthy behaviors associated with mental health disorders: a systematic comparative review of diet quality, sedentary behavior, and cannabis and tobacco use

Background

There are well-established literatures documenting the associations between mental disorders and unhealthy behaviors such as poor diet quality, sedentary behavior, and cannabis and tobacco use. Few studies have attempted to understand the respective findings in light of each other, however.

Objective

The purpose of this review was to assemble comparable data for each behavior-disorder association and assess the associations in terms of their overall strength. The review aimed to include a representative, but not exhaustive, range of studies that would allow for explorative comparisons.

Methods

Eligible studies were identified via Pubmed searches and citation searching, restricted to publications no older than 2015 written in English. To obtain comparable data, only studies that reported findings as odds ratios were included, and risk of bias related to study samples, behavioral measurement disparities, and control variables was assessed via sensitivity analyses. Findings for each disorder were compared on the basis of different measures of central tendency.

Results

From 3,682 records, 294 studies were included. The review found evidence of associations between each of the four unhealthy behaviors and psychosis, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while personality disorder was only investigated in relation to cannabis and tobacco use. In overall comparison, the associations were generally of similar strength, and only the association between cannabis use and personality disorder was exceptional in terms of being significantly stronger than its counterparts across disorders and across behaviors. Analyses of bias risk identified some influence from behavioral measurement disparities and lack of adequate statistical control, but findings were generally robust across a range of sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion

This explorative and comparative review found that poor diet quality, sedentary behavior, and cannabis and tobacco use are about equally strongly associated with a range of different mental disorders. Given the general nature of these associations, we should probably understand them to reflect a general and shared etiology. However, the findings in this review should be regarded as tentative until confirmed by more comprehensive investigations.

The relationship between frailty, walking ability, and depression in elderly Chinese people

To explore the relationship between depression symptoms, frailty, and walking ability in Chinese elderly people, and to provide new evidence for research on the prevention and treatment of depression in Chinese elderly people. The data of this study is sourced from the 2018 CHARLS data (China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study). Z-test, logistic regression, and linear stratified regression were used to analyze the walking ability, frailty, and depressive symptoms of 2927 participants. Good walking ability and non frailty were significantly negatively correlated with depression symptoms in the elderly (P < .05). This important negative association persists even after adjusting for demographic, health condition, and lifestyle factors. (P < .05). Elderly women are at a higher risk of developing depression than men, while elderly people with good walking ability and no frailty are at a lower risk of developing depression. At the same time, elderly people with disabilities, hypertension, arthritis, and low levels of physical activity are more likely to experience depressive symptoms. It is recommended that elderly people pay attention to maintaining walking ability and avoiding frailty to reduce the risk of depression.

Sleep and Depression in Older Adults: A Narrative Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The sleep-depression association has been recognized for decades. Efforts to clarify this association continue at an increasing pace. This review summarizes recent research on the sleep-depression association in older adults.

RECENT FINDINGS

Research over the past 4 years has utilized cross-sectional, longitudinal, cohort, and intervention designs to examine these associations. Short (< 7 h) and long (> 8-9 h) sleep durations and insomnia symptoms are risk factors for depression in older adults. Similarly, short sleep, long sleep, insomnia symptoms, and depression are all risk factors for poorer health in late life, including increased risk of cognitive decline, falls, and poorer quality-of-life. Intervention studies have produced mixed findings, with some studies suggesting that sleep interventions may be potentially effective in improving both insomnia and mood symptoms. Intervention studies incorporating both behavioral and physiological measures of sleep, and larger and diverse samples may enhance the field's understanding of the complex interplay between sleep and mood in older adults.

Sleep duration and depressive symptoms in Chinese middle-aged and older adults: The moderating effects of grip strength

BACKGROUND

Evidence on the combined effect of sleep duration and grip strength on depressive symptoms is scarce. This study aimed to explore the moderating effect of grip strength on the association between sleep duration and depressive symptoms in a large cohort of middle-aged and older adults.

METHOD

Data were extracted from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011-2018 wave. Grip strength and sleep duration were assessed by dynamometer and self-report, respectively. Depressive symptoms were determined by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CESD-10). Multivariable cox regression model was used to explore the associations between sleep duration, and depressive symptoms, and assess moderation by grip strength.

RESULTS

A total of 4337 participants aged 57.0 ± 8.1 years (45.1 % females) were included in this study. During the 7-year follow up period, 1508 participants developed depressive symptoms. Short sleep duration (<6 h/d) was significantly associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms [Hazard ratio (HR):1.24, 95 % confidence interval (CI):1.09, 1.40)]. This association remained in individuals with the low (HR:1.22, 95%CI:1.00, 1.49) and middle grip strength (HR:1.32, 95%CI: 1.07, 1.63), but attenuated in individuals with high grip strength (HR:1.11, 95%CI: 0.86, 1.43).

CONCLUSIONS

High grip strength mitigated the association between short sleep duration and higher risk of depressive symptoms. Thus, improving sleep duration and strengthening muscle strength are recommended to prevent depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older adults.

Association of sleep behavior with depression: a cross-sectional study in northwestern China

Background

This study aimed to examine the association between sleep duration, sleep problems, and depression in Northwest China.

Method

Depression was diagnosed at the hospital and self-reported by the participants in the baseline survey. Sleep duration and problems, including difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep, early morning awakening, daytime dysfunction, use of sleeping pills or drugs, and any sleep problems, were obtained by a self-reported questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for exploring the association between sleep duration, sleep problems, and depression, adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and health behaviors. The association between depression and sleep duration was also evaluated continuously with restricted cubic spline curves based on logistic models.

Results

36,515 adults from Regional Ethnic Cohort Study in Northwest China were included. About 24.04% of participants reported short sleep duration (<7 h), and 15.64% reported long sleep duration (≥9 h). Compared with standard sleep duration (7-9 h), short sleep duration was associated with a higher risk of depression (OR: 1.69, 95%CI: 1.26-2.27, p = 0.001). Self-reported sleep problems were also related to four times depression risk increased (OR: 4.02, 95%CI: 3.03-5.35, p < 0.001) compared with no sleep problems. In addition, a nonlinear relationship was found between sleep duration and depression after adjusting covariates (p = 0.043).

Conclusion

Sleep duration and sleep problems are associated with depression. Enough sleep time and healthy sleep habits in life course might be a practical health promotion approach to reduce depression risk in Northwest Chinese adults. A further study from cohort study is needed to verify the temporal association.

One-year follow-up of the effectiveness of a lifestyle modification programme as an adjuvant treatment of depression in primary care: A randomised clinical trial

BACKGROUND

An estimated 280 million individuals suffer from depression. Brief group interventions in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) are recommended. One goal of these interventions is to educate people about healthy lifestyle habits, as they prevent the development of depression. This study aims to analyse the one-year follow-up results about the effectiveness of a Lifestyle Modification Programme (LMP) and an LMP plus Information and Communication Technologies (LMP + ICTs) when compared to Treatment as Usual (TAU).

METHODS

We conducted an open-label, multicentre, pragmatic, randomised clinical trial. A total of 188 individuals that visited a general practitioner and met the inclusion criteria were randomised. LMP consisted of six weekly 90-minute group sessions focusing on lifestyle improvement. LMP + ICTs was a hybrid of the LMP format with the inclusion of a wearable smartwatch. We used linear mixed models (with a random intercept and an unstructured covariance) to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions, and an intention-to-treat analysis and Multiple Imputation technique for handling missing data.

RESULTS

LMP + ICTs showed a statistically significant reduction on depressive symptoms (b = -2.68, 95 % CI = [-4.239, -1.133] p = .001) and sedentarism (b = -37.38, 95 % CI [-62.930, -11.833], p = .004) compared to TAU.

LIMITATIONS

Most of the dropouts were due to time restrictions.

CONCLUSIONS

In long-term, LMPs plus ICTs administered in PHCs to people suffering from depression were effective in reducing depressive symptomatology and sedentarism comparing to TAU. More research is needed to enhance adherence to lifestyle recommendations. These promising programmes could be easily implemented in PHCs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT03951350).

Risk Factor Analysis and a Predictive Model of Postoperative Depressive Symptoms in Elderly Patients Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Among the elderly, depression is one of the most common mental disorders, which seriously affects their physical and mental health and quality of life, and their suicide rate is particularly high. Depression in the elderly is strongly associated with surgery. In this study, we aimed to explore the risk factors and establish a predictive model of depressive symptoms 1 month after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in elderly patients. The study participants included 272 elderly patients (age > 65 years) undergoing VATS from April 2020 to May 2021 at 1 of 18 medical centers in China. The patients were divided into a depression group and a nondepression group according to the Chinese version of the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The patients' pre- and postoperative characteristics and questionnaires were collected and compared. Then, binary logistic regression was used to determine the risk factors that affect postoperative depressive symptoms, and the predictive model was constructed. The prediction efficiency of the model was evaluated by drawing the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the value of the predictive model. Among all of the included patients, 16.54% (45/272) suffered from depressive symptoms after VATS. The results of the univariate analysis showed that body mass index (BMI), chronic pain, leukocyte count, fibrinogen levels, prothrombin time, ASA physical status, infusion volume, anxiety, sleep quality, and postoperative pain were related to postoperative depressive symptoms (all p < 0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a high fibrinogen level (OR = 2.42), postoperative anxiety (OR = 12.05), poor sleep quality (OR = 0.61), and pain (OR = 2.85) were risk factors of postoperative depressive symptoms. A predictive model was constructed according to the regression coefficient of each variable, the ROC curve was drawn, and the AUC value was calculated to be 0.889. The prediction model may help medical personnel identify older patients at risk of developing depressive disorders associated with VATS and may be useful for clinical purposes.

How much time of sedentary behavior is associated with depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults in southern Brazil?

AIMS

Identify sedentary behavior (SB) cut-off points to screen for depressive symptoms in older adults and verify the association between these conditions.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of 308 community-dwelling older adults was conducted. The outcome was the presence of depressive symptoms (≥6 points on the Geriatric Depression Scale-15). The exposure was SB using the self-reported time on a weekday and weekend (International Physical Activity Questionnaire). The cut-off points for SB categorization were determined by the receiver operating characteristic curve and multivariate logistic regression to verify the association.

RESULTS

Older adults who spent ≥4.5 hours/day in SB (sensitivity = 48.8%; specificity = 67.8%) were 1.81 times more likely (95%CI: 1.03;3.15) to have depressive symptoms compared to those who stayed for shorter periods.

CONCLUSIONS

There was an association between SB and depressive symptoms; therefore, older adults must have SB <4.5 hours/day to reduce the chances of developing depressive symptoms.

Depression symptoms and quality of life in empty-nest elderly among Chengdu: A cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the prevalence of depression symptoms and quality of life (QoL) and examined the influence of factors in the empty nest elderly.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study, which was conducted from February 2022 to May 2022. We recruited a convenience sample of no empty-nest elderly and empty-nest elderly (≥60 years) living in Chengdu. QoL was assessed using WHOQOL-BREF, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was used to assess depression symptoms. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze data between independent variables with depression symptoms.

RESULTS

Two thousand twenty-six participants were included in this study, 39.0% (660/1,082) experienced depression symptoms among empty-nest elderly. Age (aOR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.00-1.04; P = 0.046), chronic disease≥2 (aOR, 3.29; 95% CI, 2.50-4.33; P < 0.001) were associated with increased risk of depression symptoms, and physical activity (aOR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.40-0.87; P = 0.008), physical health (aOR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.99; P = 0.026), psychological health (aOR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87-0.98; P = 0.013), and total score (aOR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99; P < 0.001) were associated with decreased risk of depression symptoms among empty-nest elderly.

CONCLUSIONS

Depression symptoms are common mental health problems among empty-nest elderly. We found that age, chronic disease ≥2 and physical activity were important factors that have an impact on depressive symptoms. Empty-nest elderly would have lowered QoL score.