Key result
Increasing age was indirectly associated with higher depression through decreased physical activity and increased sleep-inducing medication use, but linked to reduced depression via earlier wake-up times.
Why the study?
No study had used path analysis to examine the mediating roles of physical activity, morning wake-up time, and sleep-inducing medication in the relationship between age and depression.
Cross-Sectional (n=10,047)
In a large Iranian cohort, the relationship between increasing age and depression is mediated by decreased physical activity, earlier morning wake-up times, and increased use of sleep-inducing medications.
Age-linked depression pathways via activity, wake time, and meds warrant targeted trials; leaves open causal mechanisms in observational data.
BACKGROUND: Depression is a common and debilitating psychiatric disorder worldwide. Recognizing the relationships between depression-related factors can play a significant role in depression management. However, no study has yet used path analysis to examine the mediating role of physical activity, morning wake-up time, and sleep-inducing medication in the relationship between age and depression. METHODS: This path analysis study utilized data from the baseline phase of the Ravansar non-communicable disease cohort study. This study was conducted on people aged 35 to 65 years using sociodemographic, clinical, and the PERSIAN cohort's standard physical activity questionnaires. These analyses were done using SPSS (version 22) and MPLUS (version 8.3). Path analysis was applied to evaluate the direct, indirect, and total effects of age on depression. RESULTS: The results indicated that increasing age was associated with an increase in depression through a decrease in physical activity and an increase in sleep-inducing medication use. In addition, an increase in age was significantly related to a reduced incidence of depression via an earlier morning wake-up time. DISCUSSION: We found evidence for a mediational effect of age on depression, as the biopsychosocial model of mental illness implies. The findings of this study can add to the existing body of knowledge on depression management and help clarify the mechanisms of the effect of age on depression.
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Hosseini et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Depression (n=10,047). Age was evaluated on Total effect of age on depression (β = 0.024, 95% CI 0.005 to 0.044, p=< 0.05). Increasing age was indirectly associated with higher depression through decreased physical activity and increased sleep-inducing medication use, but linked to reduced depression via earlier wake-up times.
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