Center for Health and Exercise Science Research, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
Department of Sport, Physical Education and Health, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 14;18(4):1853. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041853.
The large-scale COVID-19 pandemic has not only resulted in the risk of death but also augmented the levels of depression in community-dwelling older adults. The present study aimed to investigate the characteristics of depression in Chinese older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, to examine the association of individual precautionary behavior with older adults' depression levels, and to identify the moderating role of socioeconomic indicators in the aforementioned association. Five hundred and sixteen older adults were recruited from five cities of Hubei province in China. They were asked to complete an online questionnaire survey. Results showed that 30.8% of participants indicated a significant depressive symptom during the pandemic. Older adults' depression levels differed significantly in marital status, living situation, education level, household income, subjective health status, and infected cases of acquaintances. Precautionary behavior change showed significant inverse associations with older adults' depression levels, where household income moderated this relationship. This is the first study to investigate the characteristics, behavioral correlates, and moderators of depression among Chinese older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research findings may provide new insights into interventions and policy-making on individual precautionary behavior and mental health among older adults for future pandemics.
大规模的 COVID-19 大流行不仅导致了死亡风险，还增加了社区居住的老年人的抑郁水平。本研究旨在调查 COVID-19 大流行期间中国老年人抑郁的特征，研究个体预防行为与老年人抑郁水平的关系，并确定社会经济指标在上述关系中的调节作用。从中国湖北省的五个城市招募了 516 名老年人。他们被要求完成在线问卷调查。结果表明，30.8%的参与者在疫情期间表现出明显的抑郁症状。老年人的抑郁水平在婚姻状况、居住状况、教育水平、家庭收入、主观健康状况和熟人感染病例方面存在显著差异。预防行为改变与老年人的抑郁水平呈显著负相关，而家庭收入调节了这种关系。这是第一项研究调查 COVID-19 大流行期间中国老年人抑郁的特征、行为相关性和调节因素。研究结果可能为未来大流行期间针对老年人的个体预防行为和心理健康的干预措施和决策提供新的见解。
