Abstract

Objective: Depression is common in older individuals though many factors associated with its occurrence remain under-researched. We examined whether childhood adversities (CAs) and late-life stressors are associated with the onset of depressive symptoms in adults aged ≥ 65 and if these early- and late-life stressors interact in the prediction of depressive symptoms. Methods: Data came from the 2010 and 2013 waves of the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) (N = 8701). The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was used to assess the presence of depressive symptoms (GDS ≥ 5). A Poisson regression analysis was used to examine associations. Results: Both CAs (1 event: incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.41–1.79; ≥ 2 events: IRR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.80–3.10) and late-life stressful events (1 event: IRR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02–1.25; ≥ 2 events: IRR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.05–1.50) were significantly associated with the onset of depressive symptoms. Borderline significant interactions between CAs and late-life stressors (e.g. ≥ 2 CAs and ≥ 2 late-life events: IRR = 0.61, p = 0.087) suggest that late-life stressors may be important in predicting the onset of depressive symptoms especially among individuals with no or fewer CAs compared to those with ≥ 2 CAs. Conclusions: Stressful events in childhood and late adulthood were independently associated with the onset of depressive symptoms in older adults. In addition, stressful experiences in childhood might affect how individuals respond to stressful events in later life.

摘要

目的：抑郁症在老年人中很常见，尽管与其发生相关的许多因素仍未得到充分研究。我们检查了童年逆境 (CA) 和晚年压力源是否与 65 岁以上成年人抑郁症状的发作相关，以及这些早年和晚年压力源是否在预测抑郁症状中相互作用。方法：数据来自日本老年学评估研究 (JAGES) 的 2010 年和 2013 年浪潮 ( N  = 8701)。老年抑郁量表 (GDS-15) 用于评估抑郁症状 (GDS ≥ 5) 的存在。泊松回归分析用于检查关联。结果：CA（1 个事件：发病率比 [IRR] = 1.59，95% 置信区间 [CI]：1.41–1.79；≥2 个事件：IRR = 2.36，95% CI = 1.80–3.10）和晚年压力事件（ 1 个事件：IRR = 1.13，95% CI：1.02-1.25；≥2 个事件：IRR = 1.25，95% CI = 1.05-1.50）与抑郁症状的发作显着相关。CAs 和晚年压力源之间的临界显着相互作用（例如 ≥ 2 CAs 和 ≥ 2 晚年事件：IRR = 0.61，p  = 0.087）表明晚年压力源可能对预测抑郁症状的发作很重要，尤其是在个体中与 ≥ 2 个 CA 相比，没有或更少 CA。结论：儿童期和成年后期的压力事件与老年人抑郁症状的发作独立相关。此外，童年时期的压力经历可能会影响个人在以后的生活中对压力事件的反应。