Personal, behavioral, and perceived environmental factors associated with late-life depression in older men and women

• Main Authors: Lin CY, Kim B, Liao Y, Park JH
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2019-08-01
• Series: Psychology Research and Behavior Management
• Subjects: geriatric depression; older adults; multiple factors
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/personal-behavioral-and-perceived-environmental-factors-associated-wit-peer-reviewed-article-PRBM

Chien-Yu Lin,1,2 Bohyeon Kim,3 Yung Liao,4,* Jong-Hwan Park3,*1Graduate School of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan; 2Institute of Health Behaviors and Community Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; 3Health Convergence Medicine Research Group, Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea; 4Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan*These authors contributed equally to this workIntroduction: Previous investigations on factors associated with depression were highly focused on personal characteristics and health behaviors; however, few studies used an ecological perspective on the issue, much less on sex differences. This study examined the factors associated with depression, including any sex differences.Methods: A total of 1025 Taiwanese adults older than 65 years were recruited. Their personal demographics, lifestyle behaviors, and perceived environmental factors were obtained through a telephone-based survey. The multiple factors associated with depression in older adults were examined using logistic regression analyses.Results: Fully logistic regression analyses revealed that poor self-rated health (odds ratio =2.54) was correlated with a greater likelihood of depression. Aside from poor self-rated health, being older, sufficient leisure time spent in walking, and perceptions of a safe environment were associated with lower risks of depression in older men, whereas having hypertension and excessive TV viewing were associated with higher risks of depression in older women.Conclusion: Apart from self-rated health, sex differences in the associations of factors such as leisure-time walking, TV watching, and safe traffic environment with depression were observed among older adults. Strategies applied for geriatric depression prevention should take into consideration different sex group.Keywords: geriatric depression, older adults, multiple factors