Change in Risk Factors for Depression among The Elderly Due to the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate changes in risk factors for depression among the elderly due to the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Methods: We analyzed data from individuals aged ≥ 65 years who participated in both the 7th (2018) and 8th (2020) waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Depression is defined as a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D10) score ≥ 4. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses to assess risk factors for depression across periods before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. For the multivariable analysis, we included variables that showed a p-value < 0.2 in the univariable analysis and applied a stepwise selection method. Results: A total of 3,857 elderly individuals were included in the analysis. Regardless of the COVID-19 outbreak, factors such as economically inactive status, a lower frequency of social interactions, worsening subjective health status, and difficulties in performing instrumental activities of daily living were identified as risk factors for depression. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, residing in urban areas was not a significant risk factor for depression, but it emerged as a significant risk factor after the outbreak (p = 0.009). In contrast, living alone was a significant risk factor for depression before the COVID-19 outbreak (p < 0.001), but this association was not significant after the outbreak. Conclusions: After the COVID-19 outbreak, residing in urban areas emerged as a new risk factor for depression, while living alone, previously a significant risk factor, was no longer associated with depression in the elderly.