Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 19, 2025

Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Connection Between Sleep Disorders and Cognitive Symptoms in Depression
Published on: April 26, 2024
Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Depression in Older Adults: The Roles of Cognitive Function and Sleep
Yilin Zheng1, Yu Zhang2, Mingzhu Ye2
1Shanghai Institute for Global City, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, 200234, People's Republic of China.
Background:
Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important social factor associated with a wide range of health outcomes, but this relationship could be influenced by individual's intrinsic factors. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between SES and depressive symptoms, the mediating role of cognitive function, and the moderating role of sleep quality in community-dwelling older adults.
Methods:
A total of 1000 community-dwelling older adults were recruited for the cross-sectional study. Socioeconomic factors, cognitive function, sleep quality, and related covariates were investigated or assessed. Mediating and moderating effects were analyzed using R 4.2.2 and SPSS 25.0 software.
Results:
The results showed that SES was negatively associated with depressive symptoms (β=-0.234, p<0.001) and positively associated with cognitive function (β=0.566, p<0.001) after controlling for covariates; cognitive function played a partial mediating role between SES and depressive symptoms, and the indirect effect was β=-0.09 (95% CI: -0.129~ -0.06, p<0.001), accounting for 38.5% of the total effect; and sleep quality positively moderated the mediating effect of cognitive function on relationship between SES and depressive symptoms (βsleep ×cognition =-0.015, p<0.05).
Conclusion:
Depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults are affected by their SES and cognitive function. Improving individual cognitive ability and sleep quality can effectively reduce depression in community-dwelling older adults with low SES.
Related Concept Videos
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Depression: Overview
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Depressive Disorders: MDD and Dysthymia

