Gender Differences in the Association Between Childhood Neighborhood Quality and Depressive Symptoms Trajectory in Middle-Aged and Elderly Chinese: A Seven-Year Longitudinal Study

This study aimed to examine the role of childhood neighborhood quality on trajectories of depressive symptoms throughout later life based on a nationally representative sample, and to explore the role of gender in the association. Linear mixed-effects model analysis was performed to investigate a longitudinal association of childhood neighborhood quality with depressive symptoms. A total of 7,016 participants aged 45 and above were included in this study. Depressive symptoms progression was significantly faster (β [95% confidence interval, CI]: 0.13 [0.01, 0.25]; <i>P</i> = .027) in the low childhood neighborhood quality when compared with the high childhood neighborhood quality. The quality of childhood neighborhood was significantly associated with a change in depressive symptoms over time in females (β [95% CI]: 0.19 [0.02, 0.36]; <i>P</i> = .029) but not in males (β [95% CI]: 0.09 [-0.06, 0.25]; <i>P</i> = .224). Targeted interventions should be developed to prevent depressive symptoms for those vulnerable groups.