IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v317y2023ics027795362200819x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Decreasing patterns of depression in living alone across middle-aged and older men and women using a longitudinal mixed-effects model

Author

Listed:
  • Baek, Jiwon
  • Kim, Go-Un
  • Song, Kijun
  • Kim, Heejung

Abstract

There is little evidence regarding the association between living arrangement and depression, and no studies have examined the age- and gender-specific differences in this association. The present study sought to examine the longitudinal changes in depression patterns between isolative living versus living in company among middle-aged and older men and women by obtaining data from waves 1–7 of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KloSA), which comprises a sample of persons at least 45 years of age in the Republic of Korea (2273 middle-aged and 1387 older men, 2805 middle aged and 1862 older women). Depression scores were based on the self-reported Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10) short forms. Using mixed-effect linear regression models, we estimated depression patterns by living arrangement across age- and gender groups. Our findings from the mixed-effects model revealed that over a 14-year follow-up period, there were significant decreasing patterns of depression were among middle-aged men and women, and older men living alone compared to living with a spouse and living with others. However, living alone still had the highest depression compared to other living arrangement types. On the other hand, the depression of older women living alone changed to a level similar to those living with others during the follow-up period. In conclusion, these findings indicate that living alone significantly increases the risk of depression, but the risk decreases over time. Additionally, depression patterns by living arrangement proved to differ across age and gender groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Baek, Jiwon & Kim, Go-Un & Song, Kijun & Kim, Heejung, 2023. "Decreasing patterns of depression in living alone across middle-aged and older men and women using a longitudinal mixed-effects model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:317:y:2023:i:c:s027795362200819x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115513
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795362200819X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115513?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Milner, Allison & Krnjacki, Lauren & Butterworth, Peter & LaMontagne, Anthony D., 2016. "The role of social support in protecting mental health when employed and unemployed: A longitudinal fixed-effects analysis using 12 annual waves of the HILDA cohort," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 20-26.
    2. Kristine J. Ajrouch & Alysia Y. Blandon & Toni C. Antonucci, 2005. "Social Networks Among Men and Women: The Effects of Age and Socioeconomic Status," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 60(6), pages 311-317.
    3. Keyes, C.L.M. & Simoes, E.J., 2012. "To flourish or not: Positive mental health and all-cause mortality," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(11), pages 2164-2172.
    4. Wendy Zhang & Nadia O’Brien & Jamie I Forrest & Kate A Salters & Thomas L Patterson & Julio S G Montaner & Robert S Hogg & Viviane D Lima, 2012. "Validating a Shortened Depression Scale (10 Item CES-D) among HIV-Positive People in British Columbia, Canada," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(7), pages 1-5, July.
    5. Benjamin Cornwell, 2011. "Independence Through Social Networks: Bridging Potential Among Older Women and Men," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 66(6), pages 782-794.
    6. Kaplan, M.S. & McFarland, B.H. & Huguet, N. & Valenstein, M., 2012. "Suicide risk and precipitating circumstances among young, middle-aged, and older male veterans," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(S1), pages 131-137.
    7. Oshio, Takashi & Kan, Mari, 2019. "Which is riskier for mental health, living alone or not participating in any social activity? Evidence from a population-based eleven-year survey in Japan," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 233(C), pages 57-63.
    8. Isaac Sasson & Debra J. Umberson, 2014. "Editor's choice Widowhood and Depression: New Light on Gender Differences, Selection, and Psychological Adjustment," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 69(1), pages 135-145.
    9. Nakagomi, Atsushi & Shiba, Koichiro & Hanazato, Masamichi & Kondo, Katsunori & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2020. "Does community-level social capital mitigate the impact of widowhood & living alone on depressive symptoms?: A prospective, multi-level study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    10. Ginevra Floridi & Nekehia T Quashie & Karen Glaser & Martina Brand, 2022. "Partner Care Arrangements and Well-Being in Mid- and Later Life: The Role of Gender Across Care Contexts [Societal and individual determinants of medical care utilization in the United States]," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 77(2), pages 435-445.
    11. Alan R Teo & HwaJung Choi & Marcia Valenstein, 2013. "Social Relationships and Depression: Ten-Year Follow-Up from a Nationally Representative Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(4), pages 1-8, April.
    12. Gyeong-Suk Jeon & Soong-Nang Jang & Seon-Ja Rhee & Ichiro Kawachi & Sung-Il Cho, 2007. "Gender Differences in Correlates of Mental Health Among Elderly Koreans," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 62(5), pages 323-329.
    13. Gary R. Lee & Alfred DeMaris & Stefoni Bavin & Rachel Sullivan, 2001. "Gender Differences in the Depressive Effect of Widowhood in Later Life," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 56(1), pages 56-61.
    14. David Russell & John Taylor, 2009. "Living Alone and Depressive Symptoms: The Influence of Gender, Physical Disability, and Social Support Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Older Adults," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 64(1), pages 95-104.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Young Bum Kim & Seung Hee Lee, 2022. "Gender Differences in Correlates of Loneliness among Community-Dwelling Older Koreans," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-11, June.
    2. Yoon, Heesoo & Park, Gum-Ryeong & Kim, Jinho, 2022. "Psychosocial trajectories before and after spousal loss: Does gender matter?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    3. Gyeong-Suk Jeon & Kyungwon Choi & Sung-Il Cho, 2017. "Impact of Living Alone on Depressive Symptoms in Older Korean Widows," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-11, October.
    4. Franziska Förster & Melanie Luppa & Alexander Pabst & Kathrin Heser & Luca Kleineidam & Angela Fuchs & Michael Pentzek & Hanna Kaduszkiewicz & Carolin van der Leeden & André Hajek & Hans-Helmut König , 2021. "The Role of Social Isolation and the Development of Depression. A Comparison of the Widowed and Married Oldest Old in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-12, June.
    5. Stefania Ilinca & Ricardo Rodrigues & Stefan Fors & Eszter Zólyomi & Janet Jull & Johan Rehnberg & Afshin Vafaei & Susan Phillips, 2022. "Gender differences in access to community-based care: a longitudinal analysis of widowhood and living arrangements," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1339-1350, December.
    6. Kyung-Won Choi & Gyeong-Suk Jeon, 2021. "Social Network Types and Depressive Symptoms among Older Korean Men and Women," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-14, October.
    7. Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan & John Knodel & Wiraporn Pothisiri, 2015. "What does living alone really mean for older persons? A comparative study of Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(48), pages 1329-1360.
    8. Streeter, Jialu L., 2020. "Gender differences in widowhood in the short-run and long-run: Financial, emotional, and mental wellbeing," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 17(C).
    9. Yang, Fang & Gu, Danan, 2021. "Widowhood, widowhood duration, and loneliness among older adults in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    10. Jang, Soong-Nang & Kawachi, Ichiro & Chang, Jiyeun & Boo, Kachung & Shin, Hyun-Gu & Lee, Hyejung & Cho, Sung-il, 2009. "Marital status, gender, and depression: Analysis of the baseline survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 1608-1615, December.
    11. Hyun Jin Lee & Dong Kun Lee, 2019. "Do Sociodemographic Factors and Urban Green Space Affect Mental Health Outcomes Among the Urban Elderly Population?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-13, March.
    12. Stroebe, Margaret Susan & Folkman, Susan & Hansson, Robert O. & Schut, Henk, 2006. "The prediction of bereavement outcome: Development of an integrative risk factor framework," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(9), pages 2440-2451, November.
    13. Nakagomi, Atsushi & Tsuji, Taishi & Saito, Masashige & Ide, Kazushige & Kondo, Katsunori & Shiba, Koichiro, 2023. "Social isolation and subsequent health and well-being in older adults: A longitudinal outcome-wide analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    14. Laura M. Wade-Bohleber & Carmen Duss & Aureliano Crameri & Agnes von Wyl, 2020. "Associations of Social and Psychological Resources with Different Facets of Chronic Stress: A Study with Employed and Unemployed Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-17, July.
    15. Evelina Landstedt & Per E. Gustafsson & Klara Johansson & Anne Hammarström, 2016. "Longitudinal associations between social relationships at age 30 and internalising symptoms at age 42: findings from the Northern Swedish Cohort," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(1), pages 75-81, January.
    16. West, Jessica S., 2017. "Hearing impairment, social support, and depressive symptoms among U.S. adults: A test of the stress process paradigm," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 94-101.
    17. Wang, Ruoxi & Chen, Zhuo & Zhou, Yongjie & Shen, Lining & Zhang, Zhiguo & Wu, Xiang, 2019. "Melancholy or mahjong? Diversity, frequency, type, and rural-urban divide of social participation and depression in middle- and old-aged Chinese: A fixed-effects analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 1-1.
    18. Jennifer S. Mascaro & Amanda Wallace & Brooke Hyman & Carla Haack & Cherie C. Hill & Miranda A. Moore & Maha B. Lund & Eric J. Nehl & Sharon H. Bergquist & Steve W. Cole, 2022. "Flourishing in Healthcare Trainees: Psychological Well-Being and the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-18, February.
    19. Evelina Landstedt & Per Gustafsson & Klara Johansson & Anne Hammarström, 2016. "Longitudinal associations between social relationships at age 30 and internalising symptoms at age 42: findings from the Northern Swedish Cohort," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 61(1), pages 75-81, January.
    20. Kung, Claryn S. J. & Pudney, Stephen & Shields, Michael A., 2021. "Economic Gradients in Social Health in Britain," IZA Discussion Papers 14731, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:317:y:2023:i:c:s027795362200819x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.