Analysis of the current status and associated factors of depressive symptoms in Chinese middle-aged and elderly stroke patients—based on CHARLS data

TL;DR

This study examines how common depressive symptoms are in Chinese middle-aged and elderly stroke patients and identifies factors linked to depression.

Contribution

The study identifies multiple socio-demographic and health-related factors associated with depressive symptoms in stroke patients using CHARLS data.

Findings

55.4% of middle-aged and elderly stroke patients in China showed depressive symptoms.

Factors like education, sleep quality, loneliness, and self-rated health were significantly associated with depression.

Healthcare professionals are encouraged to assess and intervene early to address depressive symptoms in stroke patients.

Abstract

To investigate the prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms in middle-aged and elderly stroke patients in China, and to provide reference for improving the mental health of middle-aged and elderly stroke patients in China.

The data for this study were drawn from the 2020 wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), and middle-aged and elderly stroke patients aged ≥45 years were considered as study subjects (n=988). A simplified version of the Epidemiological Survey Depression Scale score was used to determine depressive symptoms (≥10 points defined as depression) in the study population, and associated factors were analyzed using binary logistic regression.

Among the 988 middle-aged and elderly stroke patients, 547 (55.4%) had depressive symptoms and 441 (44.6%) did not. The results of binary logistic regression analysis showed that education level, history of alcohol consumption, sleep quality, loneliness, self-rated health status, self-rated memory status, life satisfaction, and ADL were the associated factors of depressive symptom in middle-aged and elderly stroke patients (P < 0.05).

The study has shown that depressive symptoms in Chinese middle-aged and elderly stroke patients are associated with a variety of factors, and healthcare professionals should regularly assess with early recognition and take interventions to improve the disease.