The impact of major physical diseases and its outcomes on depressive symptoms among Chinese population

BACKGROUND: Depression was common among people with physical diseases. Evidence was lacked on the impact of outcomes of physical diseases on mental health. AIM: Using a national representative data of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we aimed to explore the impact of major physical diseases and its outcomes on mental health among Chinese population. METHODS: Using a multi-stage cluster sampling design, the CHARLS survey collected information of 19 549 subjects in the 2013/2014 follow-up survey. Depressive symptoms were measured by the 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D). RESULTS: The prevalence rate of depressive symptoms in the study population was 21.2%. Major physical diseases were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Compared to people who did not experience major physical diseases, participants who fully recovered after hospitalization were at similar level of developing depressive symptoms (OR = 1.16), participants who experienced major physical diseases but were not admitted to hospitals were more likely to develop depressive symptoms (OR = 2.14), and those who discharged from hospitals without recovery were also more likely to have depressive symptoms (OR = 2.24). CONCLUSIONS: Screening for depression among hospitalized population and training among general practitioners were necessary. During hospitalization, collaborative care for both physical and mental health could be beneficial.