Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27539269›Full record

ArticleSocial psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology2016

Poor mental health status and its associations with demographic characteristics and chronic diseases in Chinese elderly.

Shibin Wang, Bo Li, Gabor S Ungvari, Chee H Ng, Helen F K Chiu, Changgui Kou, Yawen Liu, Yuchun Tao, Yanhua Wu, Yingli Fu and 3 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
38citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
5.6field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

38 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 68 citations in OpenAlex.

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  5. Outcomes of a mental health screening program for adults with congenital heart disease.International journal of cardiology. Congenital heart disease · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Shibin WangDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Bo LiDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China. li_bo@jlu.edu.cn.
Gabor S UngvariUniversity of Notre Dame Australia/Marian Centre, Perth, Australia.
Chee H NgDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Helen F K ChiuDepartment of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Changgui KouDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yawen LiuDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yuchun TaoDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yanhua WuDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yingli FuDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yue QiDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yaqin YuDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Yu-Tao XiangUnit of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, 3/F, Building E12, Taipa, Macau SAR, China. xyutly@gmail.com.
Jilin University · CNChinese University of Hong Kong · CNUniversity of Macau · MOUniversity of Melbourne · AUUniversity of Western Australia · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAlthough poor mental health is associated with significant personal and societal burden, it is rarely reported in older Chinese populations. This study examined the mental health status of a large representative sample of Chinese elderly in relation to socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and chronic diseases.

methodsMultistage stratified cluster sampling was used in this cross-sectional study. A total of 4115 people aged between 60 and 79 years were selected and interviewed with standardized assessment tools. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to measure general mental health with the total score of ≥4 as the threshold for poor mental health status.

resultsThe adjusted percentage of poor mental health status in the whole sample was 23.8 %; 18.5 % in men and 28.9 % in women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender, widowed/separated marital status, rural abode, low income, poor diet, lack of physical exercise, and multi-morbidity were independently associated with poor mental health. The percentage of poor mental health status was significantly higher in patients with anemia, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cataract/glaucoma, ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular diseases, nasopharyngitis, chronic gastroenteritis/peptic ulcer, liver diseases, cholecystitis/gallstone, arthritis, or chronic low back pain.

conclusionGiven the high rate of poor mental health status among older Chinese population, policy makers and health professionals in China should address the mental health burden of its aging population.

Indexed as

AgedChinaChronic DiseaseCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMental HealthMiddle AgedRural PopulationChinese elderlyChronic diseaseMental health

Identifiers

PMID27539269
OpenAlexW2508718377

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.