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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1531202
This article is part of the Research Topic Environmental Risk Factors for Depression: Unveiling Pathways to Resilience and Public Mental Health Equity View all 18 articles
Bidirectional association between depression and cognition in Chinese middle-aged and older females: A 10-year longitudinal study
Provisionally accepted- 1 Shandong Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
- 2 Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China
Background: Women's health is an important issue worldwide, and as the population is aging, the health of middle-aged and older females is becoming increasingly vital. Although many studies have examined the relationship between cognition and depression, few studies have been conducted specifically with middle-aged and older females. This study used a longitudinal approach to examine the bidirectional relationship between cognition and depression in middle-aged and older females. Methods: The study used 3 waves (2011, 2015 and 2020) data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), enrolling a total of 4,618 middle-aged and older females aged over 45 years. Participants' general demographic characteristics were analyzed descriptively, changes in study variables were measured using Repeated measures analysis of variance. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) and cross-lagged models were used to investigate the longitudinal relationship between depression and cognition. Results: The results of the GEE and cross-lagged models revealed that previous cognitive problems leading to future depression, and prior depressive conditions affecting subsequent cognition. Conclusions: There is a bidirectional relationship between depression and cognition in middle-aged and older females over time. More clinical mechanisms need to be explored in the future.
Keywords: Depression, Cognition, Chinese middle-aged and older females, CHARLS, Longitudinal
Received: 20 Nov 2024; Accepted: 07 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jiang and Jiang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Zheng Jiang, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250012, Shandong Province, China
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