Gender Differences in the Associations of Familial Social Support on Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in Rural Japan: The Shimane CoHRE Study

Abstract

Depressive symptoms pose the risk of transitioning to depression, which increases mortality rates among older adults. In rural Japan, where the population is aging, community bonds are dwindling, raising the risk of experiencing depressive symptoms. Building social support (SS) is gaining attention as a means to prevent depression; however, there is a lack of research on the suitable types of SS resources. The present study hypothesized that SS from or to the family or neighbors would reduce depressive symptom rates among community-dwelling older women and men in Japan. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 538 women and 439 men aged 65 years or older. The Zung Self-Rated Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms with a score of 40 or higher indicating depressive symptoms. SS was categorized according to whether it was obtained from family or neighbors and the content of the SS was divided into four categories: receiving emotional support, providing emotional support, receiving instrumental support, and providing instrumental support. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of depressive symptoms between women and men. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that, for women, receiving emotional support from children living with them and providing instrumental support to separated children and relatives, and for men, receiving emotional support from separated children and relatives were significantly associated with a low odds ratio for depressive symptoms. This study suggests that the relationship between SS and depressive symptoms differs between women and men. Intervention studies are needed to clarify whether building an SS environment tailored to community-dwelling Japanese older women and men can alleviate depressive symptoms.