Association between specific social activities and depressive symptoms among older adults: A study of urban-rural differences in China

Abstract

BackgroundEngaging in social activities can help older persons with their depressed symptoms. Few studies, however, have looked into the connection between social interactions and depressed symptoms in Chinese older persons. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in older Chinese individuals' social activity involvement and depressive symptoms across urban and rural settings.MethodsA cross-sectional investigation using information from the 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which was limited to older individuals aged 60 and over. Generalized linear models were constructed to assess the effects of participants' characteristics and specific social activities on CES-D scores. The association between specific social activities and depressed symptoms was investigated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.ResultsIn this study, it was discovered that older individuals had a prevalence of depressed symptoms of 36.2%, with rural older adults having a greater prevalence of depressive symptoms (39.7%) than urban older adults (30.9%). Our results showed that for urban respondents, providing help to others (not regularly. OR = 0.753, 95% CI: 0.579–0.980, P = 0.035), going to a sport (not regularly. OR = 0.685, 95% CI: 0.508–0.924, P = 0.013), and using the Internet (not regular. OR = 0.613, 95% CI: 0.477–0.789, P < 0.001; almost weekly. OR = 0.196, 95% CI: 0.060–0.645, P = 0.007) were all significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms, while for rural respondents, interacting with friends (not regularly. OR = 1.205, 95% CI: 1.028–01.412, P = 0.021) and using the Internet (not regularly. OR = 0.441, 95% CI: 0.278–0.698, P < 0.001) were significantly and negatively associated with depressive symptoms.ConclusionsAccording to our research, there is a cross-sectional relationship between participating in a specific social activity and depressed symptoms in Chinese older adults, and this relationship varies across urban and rural older adults. This suggests that taking part in specific social activities may be crucial for reducing depression symptoms in older persons, developing more focused interventions that might support healthy aging, and offering a guide for policymakers and activists working to improve the mental health of seniors.

The Impact of Physical Activity on Depressive Symptoms among Urban and Rural Older Adults: Empirical Study Based on the 2018 CHARLS Database

“…However, this relationship was only discovered in the full sample and among older adults residing in urban areas. Our findings support those of earlier studies showing that physical activity levels are significantly associated with depressive symptoms among urban older adults but not rural older adults [35]. In addition, a study by Mumba et al [36] found that the correlation between physical activity and depressive symptoms varied among culturally diverse ethnicities of older adults residing in the United States.…”

Social Activities and Depressive Symptoms Among Elderly Based on Rural and Urban Differences in China: a National Cross-Sectional Study

“…42 Third, the rural elderly have as a priority the care-taking of left behind grandchildren when their offspring move to large cities to seek employment. In contrast, urban elderly are usually better educated, have a fixed income and persist in maintaining their social roles within their family and society, 28 enabling them to be more participative in social activities.…”

“…This study explores and evaluates the relationship between engagement in social activities and the mitigation of depressive symptoms among older individuals within the context of urban and rural areas in China. Specifically, this study examines differences in social activity engagement between rural and urban elderly populations 28,29 and type of social activity engagement by elderly persons and depressive symptoms, and variations in engagement in social activities and depression among rural and elderly populations to address an identified gap in the literature 30 considering the wide distribution of the population in China.…”