Core symptoms and urban-rural variances in depression among disabled middle-aged and elderly people in China

FENG Qiao; HU Shaohua; E Tingting; WEI Tingting; NI Ping; ZHANG Xinxin

doi:10.12102/j.issn.1009-6493.2025.15.010

Abstract：Objective:To investigate the core symptoms and urban-rural variances in depression among disabled individuals aged 45 and above in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study(CHARLS)database using network analysis,so as to provide some bases for the development of precise intervention.Methods:Chinese middle-aged and elderly individuals aged 45 and above from the 2020 CHARLES database were included in the study.And they were surveyed by using the short version of the Centre for Streaming and Modulation Depression Scale(CES-D10).And data analysis was carried out by using the R Studio software,which included analysis of the core symptoms,analysis of the network structure,and analysis of the accuracy and stability of the network structure.Results:"I feel overwhelmed by everything I do",had the highest predictive value,and its expected impact value was 1.987 9,which was the most central node in the whole network,followed by"I feel depressed"and"I feel lonely".There was a significant difference between the core symptoms of depression and the network structure of urban and rural disabled middle-aged and elderly people.The network model has good accuracy and stability.And the results are reliable.Conclusions:The results of the study emphasized the importance of addressing core symptoms in the treatment of depression in urban and rural disabled middle-aged and elderly people.Suggested that targeted prevention and intervention strategies should be developed to address the characteristics of the core symptoms of depression in urban and rural disabled middle-aged and elderly people in future studies,so as to enhance the mental health of this group population in China.