Trajectory changes and temporal priorities between depressive symptoms and social participation: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND: Depressive symptoms and social participation are important factors influencing the health of older persons. Further research is needed to understand the interaction between these two variables. METHOD: The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Social Participation Questionnaire were employed to assess depressive symptoms and social participation. A latent growth model (LGM) was used to investigate changes in the trajectories of variables. The parallel process latent growth model (PP-LGM) and autoregressive cross-lagged model (ARCL) determined whether correlations existed. RESULT: Older persons' depressive symptoms worsened while their level of social participation decreased. The intercept of depressive symptoms was negatively correlated with the slope of social participation(r=-0.133, p = 0.011). The slope of depressive symptoms and social participation were positively correlated(r = 0.444, p < 0.001). Depressive symptoms at earlier time points predicted later social participation(β1=-0.025, p1=0.032, β2=-0.040, p2=0.001). CONCLUSION: There are dynamic changes and correlations between depressive symptoms and social participation in older persons.