Feng Fuzhe, Huang Yalong
School of Medicine, Sias University, Henan, China.
The Third People's Hospital of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China.
Front Public Health. 2025 Mar 11;13:1450720. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1450720. eCollection 2025.
With advancing age, older adults are more likely to experience health problems and a decline in functioning, necessitating long-term care. Spouses play a crucial role in providing care for the older adults. Depression is a significant mental health issue faced by older adult's spouses. Categorizing depression into homogeneous subgroups can unveil hidden insights.
This study utilized the Harmonized CHARLS dataset to investigate. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was employed to identify subgroups of older adult's spouses who experience depression, and chi-square tests were conducted for univariate analysis. Furthermore, multiple logistic regression was utilized to analyze the associated factors.
Spouse caregivers were identified and classified as Low Level Depression (50.6%), High Level Depression (20.0%), and Unstable Affective Depression (29.4%). Gender, education level, self-assessment of health, communication with children, social participation, life satisfaction, and place of residence were found to be influential factors for depression among older adults spouse caregivers. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that, compared to individuals with low levels of depression, those with high levels were significantly associated with gender, education level, self-assessed health status, social engagement, life satisfaction, and place of residence. Similarly, compared to individuals with low levels of depression, those classified as having an unstable affective type were significantly associated with gender, education level, self-assessed health status, and life satisfaction. Furthermore, compared to individuals with high levels of depression, those with unstable affective depression were significantly associated with gender, self-assessed health status, weekly interactions with children, and participation in social activities.
This study revealed distinct subtypes of depression among older adults spousal caregivers, emphasizing the importance of targeted interventions in primary care. Tailored intervention strategies addressing the specific characteristics of each subtype may improve caregivers' mental health and enhance their quality of life.
随着年龄的增长，老年人更有可能出现健康问题和功能衰退，从而需要长期护理。配偶在照顾老年人方面发挥着至关重要的作用。抑郁症是老年配偶面临的一个重大心理健康问题。将抑郁症分类为同质亚组可以揭示隐藏的见解。
本研究利用协调后的中国健康与养老追踪调查（CHARLS）数据集进行调查。采用潜在类别分析（LPA）来识别患有抑郁症的老年配偶亚组，并进行卡方检验以进行单变量分析。此外，利用多元逻辑回归分析相关因素。
配偶照顾者被识别并分类为轻度抑郁症（50.6%）、重度抑郁症（20.0%）和不稳定情感性抑郁症（29.4%）。性别、教育水平、自我健康评估、与子女的沟通、社会参与、生活满意度和居住地点被发现是老年配偶照顾者抑郁症的影响因素。多元逻辑回归分析表明，与轻度抑郁症患者相比，重度抑郁症患者与性别、教育水平、自我评估的健康状况、社会参与、生活满意度和居住地点显著相关。同样，与轻度抑郁症患者相比，被归类为不稳定情感类型的患者与性别、教育水平、自我评估的健康状况和生活满意度显著相关。此外，与重度抑郁症患者相比，不稳定情感性抑郁症患者与性别、自我评估的健康状况、每周与子女的互动以及参与社会活动显著相关。
本研究揭示了老年配偶照顾者中不同类型的抑郁症，强调了在初级保健中进行针对性干预的重要性。针对每种亚型的特定特征制定的干预策略可能会改善照顾者的心理健康并提高他们的生活质量。
