SynthesisBMC geriatrics2023
Prevalence and factors influencing depression among empty nesters in China: A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.
- Intervention effects of telenursing based on M-O-A model in empty-nest older adult individuals with chronic diseases: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2024Trial
- Association of Online Parent-Child Interactions With Depressive Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Empty Nesters in China.Journal of clinical psychology · 2026Article
- Beyond technical access in digital eldercare: how ethical lag shapes stratified responsiveness to institutional welfare in rural China.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- "Sunlight" illuminates "empty nests": the influence of social participation on the multi-dimensional health of empty-nest elderly in China.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence and related influencing factors of depression symptoms among empty-nest elderly in China.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Prevalence and associated factors of cognitive impairment among hospitalized older adults with depression: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Guangzhou, China.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Prevalence, role impairment, and mental health service utilization of depressive disorders among community-dwelling older adults in China.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Impact of social alienation on self-care ability in rural older adults through psychological resilience and subjective wellbeing.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Assessment of Factors Associated with Treatment Adherence Among Elderly Patients with Multimorbid Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Using Lasso-Logistic Regression.Patient preference and adherence · 2026Article
- Depression among older parents' and their associated factors after adult children's migration: A mixed method study in an urban setting of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.PLOS mental health · 2026Article
- Alexithymia and its subgroup characteristics in Chinese empty-nesters with multiple chronic diseases: an exploration based on latent class analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Status and correlates of alexithymia among Chinese empty nest elders in a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Observational
- Latent depressive profiles and associated factors among overweight/obese individuals based on the socio-ecological model: a cross-sectional national survey in China.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- A network analysis of anxiety and depression symptoms among empty nesters in China.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Association between psychological depression and physical health in Chinese empty-nesters during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- The impact of climate change on depression in rural Chinese older adult.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Prevalence and factors influencing disability and cognitive impairment among empty nesters and non-empty nesters in Guangdong, China: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Physical and mental well-being of older adults: examining the impact of financial support from male migrant children on Indian left-behind parents.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- Does internet use promote the health of empty-nest older adults in rural China? The mediating role of social participation using a propensity score matching approach.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEmpty nesters are older people who live alone or an older couple without children to care for them. In China, empty nesters make up a significant community and are more likely to experience emotional issues, particularly depression. This study investigated the prevalence of depression and the factors influencing depression among Chinese home-bound empty nesters using meta-analysis.
methodsBased on previous studies, we used search terms relating to empty nesters and depression in English and Chinese. Databases, including China Journal Full Text Database (CNKI), Wanfang, Wipu, China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and UptoDate, were searched in April 2022, for relevant articles. Details including names of authors, year of publication, region of investigation, study type, sample size, depression detection scale, depression detection rate, and influencing factors were captured. The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed based on the I
resultsA total of ten research articles involving 5337 Chinese empty nesters were evaluated in the present meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of depression among empty nesters in China was 43%. The prevalence of depression among urban empty nesters was 38% (95% CI: 0.24,0.52), and 36% (95% CI: 0.18,0.55) among rural empty nesters. Many factors, including female, income, marital status, chronic illness, relationship with children, and social support were linked to depression among urban empty nesters.
conclusionThe prevalence of depression among empty nesters was 43%. Therefore, based on the factors influencing depression, government departments can intervene early to improve the mental health of empty nesters. LIMITATIONS: The meta-analysis only included cross-sectional studies. Therefore, there is a need for more future original studies investigating depression among empty nesters in China.
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