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A New Method for Inducing a Depression-Like Behavior in Rats
Published on: February 22, 2018
Does a reciprocal relationship exist between social engagement and depression in later life?
1Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Objectives:
We examine if reciprocal associations exist between formal and informal social engagement and depression in older adults.
Method:
We apply dynamic panel-data structural equation models accompanied with the maximum likelihood estimator (ML-SEM) to the seven waves of data of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA).
Results:
Formal social engagement in and through various voluntary groups exerts both cross-lagged and proximal effects in lessening depressive symptoms. In contrast, informal social engagement with familiar persons exhibits only proximal association with depression. Conversely, depression does not reciprocate a cross-lagged effect on either type of social engagement.
Conclusion:
The study confirms that formal social engagement in and through various voluntary groups produces a protective effect against depression for older adults across time, supporting the mental health advantage of formal engagement.
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