Long-Term Apparent Temperature, Extreme Temperature Exposure, and Depressive Symptoms: A Longitudinal Study in China

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Mental Health Research
• Gerontology

Background:

• Growing evidence links temperature to mental health outcomes.
• Long-term effects of temperature exposure on depressive symptoms remain under-researched.
• Climate change and population aging necessitate understanding these associations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between long-term apparent temperature, extreme temperatures, and depressive symptoms.
• To analyze these effects in middle-aged and older adults in China.
• To identify vulnerable populations and inform policy.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).
• Estimated associations between long-term apparent temperature deviations from optimum (12.72 °C) and depressive symptoms.
• Analyzed the impact of various extreme temperature metrics (ice days, cool nights, etc.) on depression risk.

Main Results:

• A 1 °C deviation from optimum apparent temperature increased depression risk by 2.3-2.7%.
• Increases in ice days, cool nights, cool days, cold spell durations, and tropical nights were linked to higher depression risk.
• Geographic, age, and socioeconomic factors influenced vulnerability to temperature-related depression risk.

Conclusions:

• Long-term and extreme temperature exposure poses a significant risk for depressive symptoms in older adults.
• Northern China residents showed reduced risk from low apparent temperatures.
• Targeted interventions are needed for vulnerable groups, considering climate change and aging populations.