Association Between Multiple Chronic Conditions and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in China: Evidence From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)

Int J Public Health. 2023 Mar 3:68:1605572. doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605572. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore the association between multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) and depressive symptoms among older adults in China. Methods: We used the fourth round of data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, and included 9789 older adults aged 60 years old and above. Results: Compared with the older adults without chronic disease, older adults with MCCs and those with one chronic disease had a high risk of depression (MCCs: OR-adjusted: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.37 to 1.75; one chronic disease: OR-adjusted: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.05-1.37). In urban areas, the prevalence among older adults with MCCs was 2.01 times higher than that among older adults without chronic disease (OR-adjusted: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.56-2.60), while it was 1.44 times higher in rural areas (OR-adjusted:1.44, 95% CI: 1.25-1.65). Self-reported health, duration of sleep, social activities, and type of medical insurance were the influencing factors of depressive symptoms in older adults. Conclusion: This study contributed to enriching the research on the relationship between MCCs and depressive symptoms in older adults in China.

Keywords: comorbidity; depressive symptoms; multiple chronic conditions (MCCs); older adults in China; urban and rural areas.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • China / epidemiology
  • Chronic Disease
  • Depression / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Chronic Conditions*
  • Retirement*

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Shandong Province Natural Science Foundation (grant number: ZR2021QG050) and Social Science Planning Project of Shandong Province (grant number: 21DRKJ02).