Depression in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Living Alone in China: Association of Social Support Network and Functional Ability

Older adults who live alone are more likely to experience depressive symptoms compared to those who live with others. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of depression and identify its associated factors among community-dwelling older adults living alone in China. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted with a total of 172 older adults living alone in Nanjing city, Jiangsu province of mainland China. The prevalence of depression among this group of Chinese older adults was 18.6%. The possibility of depression among older adults who had social isolation risk was 2.59 times higher than those who had no such risk. Compared with older adults who had normal functional abilities, the possibility of depression was 3.31 times higher in older adults with mild functional impairments and 4.72 times higher in those with severe functional impairments. The results suggest that health care providers should develop effective interventions to help older adults living alone maintain their mental health by enhancing their functional abilities and increasing their social support networks and social engagement. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 13(2), 82-90.].