Sex differences in quality of life and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and elderly Europeans: results from the SHARE survey.

Aging Ment Health

Unit for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.

Published: January 2023

Objectives: We examine sex differences in quality of life (QoL) and depressive symptoms across age and European regions.

Methods: We performed a large cross-sectional study based on 64,552 women and 53,647 men aged 50+ who participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) from 2004-2020. Linear and logistic regression models were used to examine associations with QoL (CASP-12) and depressive symptoms (EURO-D).

Results: Women reported slightly lower QoL (coefficient -0.78, 95% CI -0.92; -0.65) and more depressive symptoms (odds ratio (OR) 2.23, 95% CI 2.13; 2.34) than men. Sex differences in QoL increased with advancing age, whereas sex differences in depressive symptoms were stable across age groups. No overall sex difference in QoL was found in Northern Europe, but women had lower QoL than men in Western (coefficient -0.49, 95% CI -0.69; -0.29), Southern (coefficient -1.35, 95% CI -1.61; -1.09) and Eastern (coefficient -0.72, 95% CI -1.05; -0.39) Europe. However, sex differences varied within the specific CASP-12 items, with women having overall lower control and autonomy, but more self-realisation, than men. Women reported more depressive symptoms than men in all regions, with the largest overall sex difference in Southern Europe (OR 2.62, 95% CI 2.40; 2.86). A female disadvantage was found for most of the EURO-D items, with the largest sex differences for 'tearfulness', 'depression' and 'sleep'.

Conclusion: Middle-aged and elderly European women report lower QoL and more depressive symptoms than European men, lending support for the male-female health survival paradox.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.2013434DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

depressive symptoms
28
sex differences
24
lower qol
12
sex
8
differences quality
8
quality life
8
middle-aged elderly
8
qol depressive
8
women reported
8
sex difference
8

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!