Analysis of socioeconomic conditions and their relationship to depression among the elderly in China

Abstract

This study aims to investigate socioeconomic factors associated with depression among elderly people aged 60 years and over in China. Specifically, based on the review of previous studies, this study classified factors into four groups, which are demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle and health behaviors, and health status factors. Then, the association between the factors and depression was examined. This study uses nationwide survey data named “2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)”. For depression, the CES-D (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale) scale was utilized to assess depression. Chi-squared test and binary logistic regression analysis are performed to explore how the factors were associated with depression. Among a total of 8,332 elderly people, approximately 37.6% (or 3,129 elderly people) had depression with a CES-D score of 10 or above. A higher risk of depression was found among elderly people who were female, younger, separated/divorced/widowed/never married, lived in rural regions, had lower income and education, had difficulties in ADL, disabilities, and chronic diseases. Moreover, participation in social activity, appropriate sleeping hours (i.e., 6–8 hours), and regular drinking were found to be protective factors against depression among elderly people. Based on the study findings, this study recommends that the government should strengthen community-based social activities. Community education, skills-based training, and social clubs can be practical intervention programs that the government can consider. In addition, for people living alone or living without a spouse, the current monitoring system should be improved to regularly inspect their depression and life issues. Local volunteer programs that many other countries have implemented can be a feasible policy to consider. Also, the current limited pension program and social welfare system should be strengthened. IMPLICATION OF THE THESIS Suggestions for further research 1.The reliability of this study’s results should be evaluated by a future empirical study using more recent data. 2.Future study needs to examine how different socioeconomic factors are related to each subdomain of the CES-D scale. A systematic comparison between the CES-D scale and other tools is also necessary to examine the validity and reliability of the CES-D scale. 3.A qualitative study using an in-depth interview or case study is necessary for those methodological issues. 4.Future studies should consider using more detailed classifications and evaluating interaction effects for a precise understanding of elderly depression in China. 5.A longitudinal study is required to assess long-term situations of elderly depression for a more accurate diagnosis of the socioeconomic causes of elderly depression for effective policy development for the government.