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Dissecting Depression in Cardiovascular Disease in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Evidence That Comorbidity is

Rouyi Lin1,2, Yinshi Xiong1, Lin Wang1

  • 1Heart Center, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.

Psychology Research and Behavior Management
|June 1, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) experience more severe depression. Comorbidities in CVD patients create a more interconnected symptom network, suggesting a higher risk for persistent depressive states.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Depression is a significant issue in older adults, particularly those with cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  • Understanding the structure of depressive symptoms in this population is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine depressive symptom structures in older adults with and without CVD using network analysis.
  • To explore the impact of comorbidities on depressive symptom networks in older adults with CVD.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 15,234 participants in the 2018 CHARLS study.
  • Employed propensity score matching (PSM) to create matched cohorts of individuals with and without CVD.
  • Applied network analysis to assess depressive symptoms (CESD-10), identifying central symptoms and network properties.

Main Results:

  • The CVD group showed higher depression prevalence and symptom severity compared to the non-CVD group.
  • Key central symptoms in the CVD network included "depressed," "could not get going," and "bothered."
  • CVD patients with comorbidities exhibited significantly higher global network strength, indicating a more cohesive symptom structure.

Conclusions:

  • Older adults with CVD have distinct depressive symptom interactions.
  • Increased network density in patients with comorbidities suggests a greater vulnerability to persistent depressive states.
  • Targeting core symptoms like "feeling depressed" and "inability to get going" could enhance interventions for this demographic.
Abstract

Keywords:
cardiovascular diseasecomorbiditydepressionmiddle-aged and older adultsnetwork analysis

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