Self-perceptions of aging and depression among community-dwelling older adults: A moderated mediation model of physical function and motoric cognitive risk syndrome

Background Depressive symptoms in older adults have become a major public health problem. Interventions targeting physical function and motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR), a pre-dementia (such as Alzheimer's disease) syndrome, may offer promising new avenues for addressing this problem. Objective We aim to explore the relationship between self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and depression among community-dwelling older adults and analyze whether physical function plays a mediating role in this association and whether motoric cognitive risk syndrome (MCR) can moderate this mediating effect. Methods From March to November 2023, 861 community-dwelling older adults in Xinxiang City, China were investigated for their SPA, depression, physical function and MCR status. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance and correlation analysis were performed on the data, and Mplus8.3 was used to construct a moderated mediation model. Results SPA is positively correlated with depression, with physical function playing a mediating role between SPA and depression, accounting for 16.2% of the total effect. The results of the interaction term between SPA and MCR were significant (β = −0.089, p = 0.009), indicating that MCR moderates the relationship between SPA and physical function. Conclusions This study reveals the mediating role of physical function and the moderating role of MCR. It suggests that attention should be paid to the physical and mental management of community-dwelling older adults with negative self-perceptions of aging, reduce the risk of MCR, to prevent and alleviate the depressive symptoms.