ArticleThe lancet. Psychiatry2020
Sociodemographic inequalities in depression among older adults: cross-sectional evidence from 18 countries.
Article in The lancet. Psychiatry, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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48 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of Smartphone App-Based Psychological Interventions for Reducing Depressive Symptoms in People With Depression: Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Pooled it
- Acute treatment residual depression symptoms and functional impairment among depressive patients of different age groups and education levels in China: A prospective, multicenter, randomized study.Brain and behavior · 2024Trial
- Prevalence, Correlates, and Treatment of Major Depression Among Community-Dwelling Adults Aged ≥50 in the US.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry · 2026Article
- Longitudinal Patterns of Within- and Cross-Domain Multimorbidity Across Physical, Psychological, and Cognitive Conditions in China and the United States: The Role of Socioeconomic and Healthcare Inequalities.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Focusing on depressive symptoms in patients to mitigate the risk of pain: a nationwide, prospective cohort study.BMC public health · 2026Observational
- Associations of air pollution and depression risk in older adults: an ML + SHAP + SEM framework.BMC public health · 2026Article
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- Correlations Between Depression Severity and Socioeconomic and Political Factors in Women over 50: A Longitudinal Study in Europe.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Depression in older Turkish immigrants and natives in Germany: a comparative analysis of risk and protective factors.BMC public health · 2025Article
- The Role of Willpower in Major Depressive Disorder: An fMRI Study.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Daughter's college completion and parents' psychosocial wellbeing: quasi-experimental evidence from South Korea.SSM - population health · 2025Article
- Psychosocial Well-Being Differences Between the Young Old, Old-Old, and Oldest Old: A Global Comparison.Journal of aging and health · 2025Article
- Predictors of mood disturbance in older adults: a longitudinal cohort study.European geriatric medicine · 2025Article
- The association between digital technology use and depression among older people in China: a moderated mediation model.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
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- A significant atypical U-shaped relationship exists between Lipid Accumulation Product and depression prevalence among Chinese middle-aged and elderly men: a cross-sectional study based on CHARLS.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Impact of dengue fever on depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador: a prospective cohort study.Tropical medicine and health · 2024Article
- Effects of educational attainment on comorbidity of pain and depression in Chinese older adults.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Associations of 24-hour movement behaviors with depressive symptoms in rural-dwelling older adults: a compositional data analysis.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2024Article
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Abstract
backgroundSociodemographic inequalities in depression are well established. However, less is known about variation in inequalities across countries. In this study, we describe cross-national variation in sociodemographic inequalities in depression among older adults. Comparing inequalities across countries is an important step towards understanding how the social environment shapes depression risk.
methodsIn this cross-sectional study, we harmonised data from eight large ageing cohort studies from 18 countries. We restricted our study to adults aged 55 years and older, and measured depression using established cut points in shortened Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression or EURO-D scales. Next, we estimated prevalence ratios for each country by age, marital status, educational attainment, and gender with logistic regression. To compare estimates across countries, we standardised estimates to the mean sociodemographic distribution across our sample.
findingsBetween Jan 1, 2007, and May 31, 2015, 93 590 older adults completed questions related to depressive symptoms. Sociodemographic inequalities in depression varied substantially across countries. Variation was most apparent for age: prevalence ratios (adults aged 75 years or older vs adults aged 55-65 years) ranged from 2·66 (95% CI 2·13-3·20) in Israel to 0·78 (95% CI 0·72-0·84) in the USA. Heterogeneity by other factors was also apparent. Gender prevalence ratios (women vs men) ranged from 1·07 (95% CI 1·01-1·14) in Korea to 1·96 (95% CI 1·55-2·36) in Greece. Educational prevalence ratios (less than secondary education vs some post-secondary education) ranged from 1·01 (95% CI 0·88-1·14) in Japan to 2·34 (95% CI 2·14-2·55) in the USA. Marital status prevalence ratios (divorced or separated vs married) ranged from 1·11 (95% CI 1·01-1·21) in Chile to 2·01 (95% CI 1·73-2·29) in England.
interpretationInequalities in depression among older adults vary substantially across countries, which might be due to country-specific aspects of the social environment. Future research should investigate social inequality determinants of mental health that might inform the design and evaluation of social, economic, and mental health-related policies and interventions to reduce depression.
fundingUS National Institute of Mental Health and Chilean National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research.
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