Restricted Social Engagement Is Associated With Depressive Symptoms in Older Chinese Adults: A Nationwide Cross‐Sectional Study

作者：Zheng Guo, Yulu Zheng, Ya-Hong Zhu, Huacheng Wang, Geng Jian, Hengrui Liu, Piyong Ma, Lois Balmer, Xingang Li · 发表于：Health Science Reports · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1002/hsr2.71262 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Health disparities and outcomes、COVID-19 and Mental Health、Aging and Gerontology Research

Background and Aims: Social isolation has been linked to depressive symptoms in older adults. Previous studies have shown that greater engagement in social activities is associated with better mental health. However, it remains unclear whether restricted social engagement is related to poorer mental health outcomes. This study examined the association between reduced social activities/networking and the presence of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older Chinese adults. Methods: During the COVID-19 pandemic, people chose to minimize going out to reduce the risk of infection, creating a natural setting that mimicked a passive intervention of restricted social engagement for community-based individuals. Data were drawn from 7288 participants aged ≥ 65 years from the fifth wave (2019-2020) wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Social activities/networking changes due to COVID-19 were self-reported. Multivariable logistic regression examined associations between activity changes and depressive symptoms, adjusting for demographics and anxiety/fear levels. Results: Among 7288 participants (49.8% female;mean age 73.1, SD = 6.6), 41.4% exhibited depressive symptoms. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was higher among females (50.3%) than males (32.7%). Higher education levels were associated with a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms. Particip...