童年社会经济地位影响中老年抑郁的中介效应分析

Analysis of the Mediating Effect of Childhood Socioeconomic Status on Depression in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

摘要: 目的：探究童年社会经济地位(SES)对中老年抑郁状况的影响及内在中介机制，为制定针对性干预措施提供科学依据。方法：以2022年中国健康与养老追踪调查(CFPS)中年龄 ≥ 45岁的中老年人作为研究对象，基于皮尔逊相关性评估童年SES、抑郁状况和中介变量(受教育水平、工具性日常生活活动能力(IADL)、睡眠时长)之间的相关性，采用Bootstrap法检验中介变量在因变量和自变量之间的中介效应。结果：童年SES对抑郁的直接效应不显著，但通过不同链式中介路径产生间接影响，其中，受教育水平是核心中介变量，占总间接效应的56.07%；IADL与睡眠时长同样发挥着重要中介作用。结论：童年SES通过多条间接路径影响中老年抑郁状况，该结果为从生命早期干预中老年心理健康提供了新的理论视角，提示从生命早期提升教育资源与健康行为可能对改善中老年心理健康具有长远意义。

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the impact of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) on depression in middle-aged and older adults and its underlying mediating mechanisms, providing scientific evidence for developing targeted interventions. Methods: Using participants aged ≥ 45 years from the 2022 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CFPS), we assessed correlations among childhood SES, depressive status, and mediating variables (educational attainment, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and sleep duration) via Pearson correlation analysis. Bootstrap methods were employed to examine the mediating effects of these variables between the dependent and independent variables. Results: Childhood SES showed no significant direct effect on depression but exerted indirect effects through multiple chained mediating pathways. Educational attainment emerged as the core mediator, accounting for 56.07% of the total indirect effect, while IADL and sleep duration also played crucial mediating roles. Conclusion: Childhood SES influences depression in middle-aged and older adults through multiple indirect pathways. These findings offer a new theoretical perspective for early-life interventions targeting mental health in later life, suggesting that enhancing educational resources and health behaviors from an early stage may have long-term implications for improving mental well-being in middle age and beyond.