ABSTRACT Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the related influencing factors for the middle-aged and the elders depression.
Method：
This research using data from “The Longitudinal Sample Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan” conducted in 1999 and 2003 by the predecessor organization of the Bureau of Health
Promotion, Department of Health, 2628 samples were analyzed without incomplete data.
The measurement of depression we use “Center for Epidemiological Survey, Depression Scale”(CES-D).
Depression index score (CES-D score) was constructed from ten items of depression measure to measure the level of depression. Score equal or higher than 10(CES-D≧10) classify into depression; less than 10 classify into no depression.
Independent variable include Social demography’ living environment’ income’ health status’ social
interaction , we investigate the change of variable( 1993:1996), except age’ sex’ birthplace’ education and earlier stage chronic disease or malignancy.
Result：
More than one-tenth(13.47%) of the elderly was found to have depression. In logistic regression, people who had no satisfied with circumstance’ Self-rated Health Status’ malignancy’ worth physical situation’ fall down ‘ pain from 「no」to「yes」’ sick or injured’ and less emotion social support in earlier stage, more higher probability depression in later stage；single’ circumstance satisfied’ and emotion social support raise, had low probability depression in later stage.
Conclusion and Suggestion:
Living arrangement from stay with others to single’ no satisfied with individual income and economic’
worth health status and less emotion social support, more easy to have depression. So middle-age can increase interaction of mental support between relatives and friends. In policy, government can review each city’s program of concerned about the elderly living along, improve middle-age health status, speed up elderly economic save policy, I hope that elderly have good mood to spend their late life.
