DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS SELF-RATED HEALTH STATUS AND RETIREMENT STATUS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN THE U.S.

摘要

This study investigated if the association between depressive symptoms and self-rated health status was moderated by the retirement status among older adults aged 65 and above in the United States and tested the following hypotheses: (1) the older adults who are depressed and retired will have worse health compared to individuals who are depressed and not retired (2) the effect of depressive symptoms on self-rated health status among older adults will depend on the retirement status of those individuals. Data was used from the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study. Ordinal regression was conducted to assess the relationship between self-rated health status, depressive symptoms, and retirement status. Interaction terms between depressive symptoms and retirement status were included in the final model. Ordinal regression results revealed that the interactions between depressive symptoms and retirement status were significant in the model (p<.0001). The results of interaction effects revealed that having depressive symptoms and being completely retired decreased the odds of having better health compared to having depressive symptoms but not retired; which supported the first hypothesis. Similarly, the significant interaction between depressive symptoms and retirement status imply that the retirement status has a moderating effect on the relationship between self-rated health status and depressive symptoms; which supported the second hypothesis. The results of this study have implications for health policy makers to identify and address factors that lead to depressive symptoms.