Multimorbidity is significantly associated with higher prevalence of depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older Chinese adults

作者：Yiyang Zheng, Pengyao Lin, Liming Zhao, Tianchen Qian, Jiarong Xie, Lei Xu · 发表于：Preventive Medicine Reports · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103289 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Chronic Disease Management Strategies、Primary Care and Health Outcomes、Diabetes Management and Education

Objective Chronic diseases and depressive symptoms are prevalent global health concerns. This study examined the association between multimorbidity and depressive symptoms in the middle-aged and older adults. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, China, 2011–2020), including 18,551 adults aged ≥45 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (score ≥10). We analyzed associations for each chronic disease and for their coexistence. Results After adjusting for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, chronic liver disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and diabetes were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Participants with ≥2 of these conditions had higher odds of depressive symptoms (OR = 2.34, 95 % CI: 1.89, 2.89). Subgroup analyses showed consistent associations within strata. In age-stratified analyses, adjusted ORs were 2.96 for participants <60 years and 2.26 for those ≥60 years. In sex-stratified analyses, adjusted ORs were 2.26 for females and 2.70 for males. In body mass index analyses (BMI), adjusted ORs were 3.60 for <24 kg/m 2 and 1.88 for ≥24 kg/m 2 . Conclusions Multimorbidity was significantly associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese adults aged ≥45 years. These associations were consistent in sex, age, and BMI.