Chronic Illness and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Depression is quite common among the elderly members of Hong Kong Chinese society. This study examined the impact of a series of chronic illnesses on change in depressive symptoms among the older people. The respondents were 260 people aged 70 years or older from a longitudinal study of a representative community sample of the elderly population in Hong Kong. Using multiple regression models, the authors found that, of six chronic illnesses examined, only arthritis was associated with depressive symptoms three years later, even after controlling socio-demographic, functional impairment, and social support variables were applied. Service and policy implications of the findings are discussed.