The characteristics of elderly depression in China and policy implications
Objective To explore the characteristics and changing trends of depression in the population aged 60 and above in China,and to provide basis for improving the mental health of the elderly.Methods Data from three waves of the China Family Panel Studies(CFPS)in 2016,2018,and 2020 were used for analysis.The 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D 8)was applied to analyze the depressive char-acteristics of individuals aged 60 and above.Results A total of 3 020 valid tracking samples were obtained,in-cluding 1 568(51.92％)males and 1 452(48.08％)females.The analysis results revealed a year-on-year in-creasing trend in depression scores among the elderly from 2016 to 2020(F=4.98,P＜0.01).Female depres-sion scores were consistently higher than male scores(t2016=9.31,P＜0.001;t2018=9.36,P＜0.001;t2020=8.82,P＜0.001).Rural elderly individuals had higher depression scores compared to their urban counterparts(t2016=7.25,P＜0.001;t2018=7.93,P＜0.001;t2020=7.84,P＜0.001).Depression scores were higher in il-literate elderly individuals compared to those who were not illiterate(t2016=-9.68,P＜0.001;t2018=-10.97,P＜0.001;t2020=-7.71,P＜0.001).Furthermore,elderly individuals with chronic diseases had higher de-pression scores than healthy elderly individuals(t2016=-10.95,P＜0.001;t2018=-6.75,P＜0.001;t2020=-5.84,P＜0.001),and those living alone had higher depression scores than those living with others(t2016=-6.10,P＜0.001;t2018=-6.59,P＜0.001;t2020=-6.73,P＜0.001).Conclusions The depression is-sues among the elderly in China are worsening year by year,with female,rural,illiterate,chronically ill,and sol-itary elderly individuals exhibiting more pronounced depressive problems.To reduce the risk of depression among the elderly and improve their mental health,it is crucial to focus on vulnerable groups such as women and illiterate individuals in the elderly population and those with chronic diseases.
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
万方数据
