Depressive symptoms rose before sight and hearing problems were noted
Depressive symptom scores rose faster before combined vision and hearing impairment was recorded, with a model-estimated rate difference of 0.166 versus participants who remained free of it.
Limit: Worsening depressive symptoms could increase self-reported sensory difficulties, exaggerating the difference between groups
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational study followed 5,210 middle-aged and older adults in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study from 2011 to 2020. All were free of combined vision and hearing impairment and significant depressive symptoms at the start. Researchers assessed symptoms with a 10-item questionnaire and accounted for factors including chronic conditions and health behaviors.
During follow-up, 3,371 participants were first recorded with combined impairment, while 1,839 remained free of it. Those later recorded with combined impairment had higher symptom scores at the start. Their symptoms also worsened faster before the impairment was first recorded than those of participants who remained free of it. Afterward, their symptoms continued to follow a less favorable course, but the difference between groups in how fast scores rose did not increase further.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that shared aging-related risk processes may partly underlie the link between combined sensory impairment and depressive symptoms.
Caveats
This observational study could not establish cause and effect, and the first recorded impairment did not necessarily mark when it began. The findings concern middle-aged and older adults in China who initially had neither combined impairment nor significant depressive symptoms.
From the paper
- Participants
The final analytic sample included 5,210 participants, of whom 3,371 were first observed with DSI during follow-up and 1,839 remained free of DSI throughout follow-up.
- Result
… participants who were first observed with DSI during follow-up had higher baseline CESD-10 scores (β = 0.777, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.526 to 1.028 …
- Limitation
First, VI and HI were defined using self-reported information, which may introduce information bias or misclassification.
Quoted word for word from the full text on link.springer.com.
- Depressive symptoms
- Vision impairment
- Hearing impairment
- Dual sensory impairment
- 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale
- Humans
The paper
Wenzhou Medical University
BMC Psychology, Aug 31, 2026, Open access
