Risk factors for depression among older adults living alone in Shanghai, China

Rapid population ageing and the increasing number of older adults living alone are important phenomena. Older adults are prone to depression. This study aimed to investigate the depression of older adults living alone in Shanghai and its risk factors.

The data from the survey of quality of life of community-dwelling older adults in Shanghai from April 2015 to March 2016 was used in this study. A total of 387 older adults living alone in two communities in Shanghai participated in this study. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data, including depression, the presence of chronic diseases, functional ability, self-rated health, loneliness, social support and sociodemographic variables.

The prevalence of depression was 26.9%. There were significant differences across the participants of different genders, education levels, previous occupations, economic levels, residential areas, physical activity levels, chronic diseases, functional ability levels, levels of self-rated health, loneliness levels and social support levels (P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analyses found that self-rated health (odds ratio (OR) = 5.914, P = 0.001) and loneliness (OR = 1.132, P < 0.001) were risk factors of depression.

The psychological and physical health of older adults living alone need to be emphasised. Appropriate interventions could be implemented to prevent depression, so as to promote the quality of life of older adults, and achieve active ageing and healthy ageing.