Association between psychological depression and physical health in Chinese empty-nesters during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

With the aging of the population becoming increasingly serious, the phenomenon of empty-nesters is also becoming more and more serious. The psychological problems of the empty-nester elderly are becoming more and more prominent, which may affect their physical health. This study aimed to quantify the association between psychological depression and physical health in the background of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A total of 7,835 empty-nesters over 60 years old were selected from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study in 2020. Depressive symptoms were applied to measure psychological health. The outcome variables of physical health were measured by self-rated health (SRH), chronic disease, and limited basic activities of daily living (BADLs). Binary

SUBMITTER: Wang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11876410 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature