ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1509485
This article is part of the Research TopicMental Health of Vulnerable Groups: Predictors, Mechanisms, and InterventionsView all 30 articles
Sociodemographic moderators of the association between functional limitations and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults
Provisionally accepted
- Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
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Depressive symptoms among older adults are a growing public health concern, particularly in rapidly aging populations like China. Functional limitations, commonly experienced with advancing age, have been shown to exacerbate depressive symptoms. This study investigates the moderating effects of sociodemographic factors (including individual, familial, and society) on the association between functional limitations and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults, using data from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). The sample included 9,354 adults aged 65 and above. Results indicate that age group, living arrangement, and region significantly moderate the relationship between functional limitations and depressive symptoms. Specifically, functional limitations have a greater impact on depressive symptoms among the "young-old" compared to the "oldest-old," are more pronounced among those living alone versus with family, and affect rural residents more than urban ones. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that address these moderating factors to improve mental health outcomes among older Chinese adults.
Keywords: Functional limitations, depressive symptoms, Age group, Living arrangement, Region, Chinese older adults
Received: 11 Oct 2024; Accepted: 22 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hao, Yue and Yeo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yeong Yeo, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea
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