Factors associated with depression among older people in Vietnam

Depression is one of the leading causes of disease burdens in recent years, and it is expected to continue to be so in the coming decades. Depression among older people (defined as those 60 years and older) is associated with disability, increased mortality, and poorer outcomes from physical illness, but it is often under-recognized and under-treated since people know little about the underlying factors influencing it in the elderly, and how they are correlated. This paper aimed to investigate the various factors associated with depressive symptoms among Vietnam’s elderly population. We used the first-ever nationally representative data for older people, namely, the Vietnam Aging Survey (VNAS) in 2011, along with probit regression models to identify these factors. We found that, for both urban and rural areas, older people who experienced domestic violence, who did not have enough finance for daily living, and who lived alone were more likely to be depressed than their counterparts. In contrast, marital status, educational level, working status, mutual support between older people and their children, and participation in social activities were not factors significantly related to their depression. Due to different living conditions and arrangements, the depression contexts of urban and rural older people were significantly determined by different factors, such as the roles in family decision-making and the burden of care of great-grandchildren or other family members.