The Role of Health Perception and Religious Participation on Depression Tendency in the Elderly

Abstract Background The increase in the elderly population is followed by a high prevalence of depression. This study aims to determine the role of health perception and religious participation on the tendency of depression in the elderly. Methods This study uses secondary data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) Wave 5 in 2014. The tendency of depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)-8, while health perception and religious participation were measured using single items. The study participants were 2,560 elderly (aged 60–101 years). Data analysis used multiple regression analysis. Result The findings in the study indicate that health perception and religious participation together have a role in the tendency of depression in the elderly in Indonesia. The simultaneous effective contribution is 4.3%. When viewed partially, the effective contribution of health perception to the tendency of depression is 4.28%, and the rest is by religious participation to the tendency of depression. Conclusion This study shows that health perception and religious participation play a role in the tendency of depression in the elderly, including in all elderly groups.