Open Access

ARTICLE

Association between Self-Rated Health and Depressive Symptoms in Rural Chinese Adults: A Cohort Study Based on Propensity Score Matching

by Yang Wang¹, Jinlong Lin^1,*, M. James C. Crabbe^2,3,4, Xiao-Guang Yue⁵

1 Institute of Population Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
2 Wolfson College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6UD, UK
3 Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Science & Technology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science, University of Bedfordshire, University Square, Luton, LU1 3JU, UK
4 School of Life Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China
5 Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

* Corresponding Author: Jinlong Lin. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2022, 24(3), 385-398. https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2022.020664

Received 06 December 2021; Accepted 17 January 2022; Issue published 17 March 2022

Abstract

Health status is widely regarded as a correlate of depressive symptoms. However, health assessments based on clinical diagnosis in rural areas with poor medical conditions are very limited. Self-rated health (SRH) serves as a simple and convenient evaluation indicator, which may be used as an independent predictor of depressive symptoms. To confirm the relationship between SRH and depressive symptoms in rural adults, a longitudinal survey of rural households in China was conducted using the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2012 to 2016. Propensity score matching and logistic regression analysis were used to explore the association. After data cleansing, 3,127 pairs (6,254 participants) aged 16 and older followed for 4 years were enrolled, of which the average age was (50.02 ± 14.19) years old, and the proportions of male and female were 48.64% and 51.36%, respectively. The incidence rate of depressive symptoms within 4 years was 30.86% (95%CI: 29.24–32.48) in the group with fair or poor SRH, and 21.59% (95%CI: 20.14–23.03) in the group with good SRH. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (χ² = 69.51, P < 0.001). The results of univariate unconditional logistic regression analysis showed that there was a correlation between SRH and depressive symptoms in rural adults aged 30 and above (OR = 1.65, 95%CI: 1.46–1.85, P < 0.001). Thus, a simple and practical assessment tool based on SRH and other indicators should be established for early prevention and intervention in rural primary mental health care.

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Keywords

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