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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1375106
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring Mental Health in Vulnerable Populations in Developing Countries View all 9 articles

Depressive symptoms and associated factors among older patients with arthritis: evidence from a community-based study in eastern China

Provisionally accepted
Xinyi Wang Xinyi Wang Tao Zhang Tao Zhang Xue Gu Xue Gu Le Xu Le Xu Fudong Li Fudong Li Yujia Zhai Yujia Zhai Mengna Wu Mengna Wu Junfen Lin Junfen Lin *
  • Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Abstract Introduction: Depressive symptoms are often experienced by patients with arthritis and are correlated with poor health outcomes. However, the association between depressive symptoms and multidimensional factors (sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, health behaviors, and social support) among older patients with arthritis in China remains poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of depressive symptoms in older patients with arthritis in eastern China and identify the associated factors. Methods: We analyzed data of 1081 older patients with arthritis using secondary data from 2014–2020 from a community-based ongoing study initiated in 2014 in eastern China. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was calculated, and univariate and multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to identify the associated factors. Results: The mean age of older patients with arthritis was 69.16±7.13 years; 42.92% were men and 57.08% were women. The prevalence of depressive symptoms in older patients with arthritis was 14.99% (95% confidence interval: 12.91–17.26%), about 1.8 times higher than that in older adults without arthritis (8.49%, P<0.001). Multilevel logistic regression identified perception of poor economic status (odds ratio [OR]=5.52, P<0.001), multimorbidity (OR=1.96, P=0.001), limitations in activities of daily living (OR=2.36, P=0.004), and living alone (OR=3.13, P=0.026) as factors positively associated with depressive symptoms. Patients diagnosed with arthritis at an older age had lower odds of experiencing depressive symptoms (OR=0.67, P=0.046). Conclusion: Screening for depressive symptoms is essential among older patients with arthritis, especially those who perceive themselves as having a poor economic status, are diagnosed at an earlier age, have multimorbidity, have limitations in activities of daily living, and live alone. The associations of age at arthritis diagnosis and dietary behaviors with depressive symptoms require further research.

    Keywords: depressive symptoms, Arthritis, older adults, Prevalence, factors

    Received: 23 Jan 2024; Accepted: 24 Apr 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Wang, Zhang, Gu, Xu, Li, Zhai, Wu and Lin. 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: Junfen Lin, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

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