Moderation of social participation in the relationship between disaster exposure and depression among older adults: evidence from LASI Survey, 2017–18

The two phenomena colliding in this twenty-first century are population ageing and climate change. Moreover, the surge in disaster recurrence, either natural or artificial, poses a challenge to older adults and will further aggravate their health. However, engagement in social participation will be beneficial in diminishing depression among older adults. This study aims to understand the association between disaster-related health impacts and depression. Furthermore, it also attempts to disentangle the role of social participation in moderating the relationship between disaster-related health impacts and depression. This study utilizes the nationally representative Longitudinal Ageing Study of India, 2017–19 Wave-1 data with an adequate sample size of 31,902 older adults aged 60 years and above. To examine the relationship between disaster-related health impacts and depression, we employed a combination of statistical methods. In addition to descriptive statistics, we conducted a bivariate logistic regression analysis, explored interaction effects, and performed dominance analysis. Overall, the prevalence of depression was 8.5%; nevertheless, the burden of this depression was higher among females, those who are living alone and have functional disability. Older adults whose health was affected by disasters were more prone to depression. Moreover, in the interaction effect, the risk of having depression in the aftermath of disaster exposure that affected health was diminished among those older adults who engaged in social participation. These findings emphasize the need for a policy to promote social cohesion and encourage community involvement in helping individuals cope with stress after disasters, especially among older adults, to ensure their overall well-being.