基于CHARLS数据库对老年抑郁情况影响因素的研究

Study on Influencing Factors of Senile Depression Based on CHARLS Database

摘要: 随着中国老年人口的迅速增长，老年人的心理健康问题已成为公共卫生领域的一个重要议题。它不仅直接关系到老年人的生活质量和社会参与度，而且与生理健康紧密相连。持续的抑郁症状与认知功能下降有关，增加了患痴呆症的风险，同时与心血管健康问题相关，可能导致高血压和心脏病。社会参与度的降低会进一步影响老年人的社交网络和情感支持，降低生活质量。抑郁症是全球疾病负担的主要因素，在最严重的情况下，抑郁症可能导致自杀。因此，早期识别和干预老年抑郁症状对于减轻其对老年人生理和心理健康的广泛负面影响至关重要。本文选取CHARLS 2018年数据，利用CES-D-10量表进行老年人抑郁水平测量，分别选择性别、受教育程度和居住地作为处理变量，认知功能作为中介变量，研究这三个处理变量对抑郁情况的直接影响和通过认知功能的间接影响。本文研究发现：受教育程度对抑郁情况的总影响、直接影响和间接影响的影响系数分别为−0.911、−0.448和−0.463，间接效应占总效应的比例为0.509；婚姻情况对抑郁情况的总影响、直接影响和间接影响的影响系数分别为1.415、1.202和0.212，间接效应占总效应的比例为0.15；居住地对抑郁情况的总影响、直接影响和间接影响的影响系数分别为1.095、0.776和0.319。

Abstract: With the rapid growth of the elderly population in China, the mental health of the elderly has become an important issue in the field of public health. It is not only directly related to the quality of life and social participation of the elderly, but also closely related to physiological health. Persistent depressive symptoms are associated with decreased cognitive function and an increased risk of dementia, while they are associated with cardiovascular health problems that can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease. Reduced social participation can further affect older adults’ social networks and emotional support, reducing quality of life. Depression is a major contributor to the global burden of disease, and in the most severe cases, depression can lead to suicide. Therefore, early identification and intervention of depressive symptoms in older adults is essential to mitigate its widespread negative effects on the physical and mental health of older adults. In this paper, the data of CHARLS in 2018 were selected and CES-D-10 scale was used to measure the depression level of the elderly. Gender, education level and place of residence were selected as processing variables, and cognitive function was selected as intermediary variables to study the direct impact of these three processing variables on depression and the indirect impact through cognitive function. The results show that the influence coefficients of the total, direct and indirect effects of education on depression are −0.911, −0.448 and −0.463, respectively, and the proportion of indirect effects to the total effects is 0.509. The influence coefficients of total, direct and indirect effects on depression were 1.415, 1.202 and 0.212, respectively, and the proportion of indirect effects to total effects was 0.15. The total, direct and indirect effects of residence on depression were 1.095, 0.776 and 0.319, respectively.