The Associations Between Social Support From Adult Children (SSAC) and the Risk of Later-Life Depression (LLD) Among Rural Older Individuals: A Longitudinal Study Based on 2011 to 2018 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study Data

This study was designed to investigate the implications of perceived social support from adult children (SSAC) on the incidence of later-life depression (LLD) among rural older adults in China. A total of 1762 participants without depressive symptoms and aged ≥60 years at baseline were recruited from three waves (2011, 2013, and 2015) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) and followed up until 2018. After following-up for 2–7 years (average 4.6 years), a total of 746 participants (43.2%) were identified with LLD and the overall incidence of LLD was 128.5 per 1000 person-years. Univariate and multiple Cox regression analysis consistently indicated that receiving living care support was the sole form of SSAC that may significantly reduce the risk of LLD in rural older adults in China (HR: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.70–0.95, p = .008). These results may be of assistance in comprehensively understanding the role of SSAC in the mental health of older adults.