Predicting late-life depression trajectories through early-life experiences: evidence from CHARLS

Late-life depression (LLD) is a significant mental health concern among older adults. While early-life experiences have lasting impacts on mental health, their influence on LLD trajectories remains poorly understood.

Using five-wave data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2020, we analyzed depressive symptoms in 5,764 respondents aged 60 and above. Depressive symptoms were measured with the CES-D-10 scale. Early-life experiences were assessed through childhood parental relationships, family dysfunction, and health and socioeconomic status. Latent class growth analysis was first employed to identify LLD trajectories. Then, multinomial logistic regression examined associations between early-life experiences and LLD trajectories.

Three LLD trajectories were identified: Low-Stable (57.91%), Moderate-Increasing (32.17%), and High-Increasing (9.92%). Poor maternal relationships, physical abuse, parental mental illness, poor health, and lower socioeconomic status during childhood were significant predictors of higher risks for the Moderate-Increasing or High-Increasing trajectories.

Early-life experiences significantly predict LLD trajectories among older adults. These findings emphasize the importance of interventions targeting early-life adversities to mitigate their long-term effects on LLD evolution. Early interventions hold promise for improving mental health trajectories in older adults by addressing these childhood determinants.