Impact of Depression on Self-Rated Health Status among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Moderating Effects of Subjective Social Status and Formal Social Participation Using Data from the Ninth Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (2022)

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the association between depression and self-rated health status among adults aged ≥65 years and to assess the moderating effects of key social variables.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the ninth wave of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. Survey-weighted multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with self-rated health status. The moderating effects of formal social activities and subjective social status on the association between depression and self-rated health status were examined.Results: Data from 4,487 older adults were analyzed. Age, activities of daily living, and number of chronic diseases were significantly associated with self-rated health status. Higher levels of depression were significantly associated with lower odds of reporting good self-rated health status (odds ratio [OR]=0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.93~0.98). In contrast, greater participation in formal social activities (OR=1.42, 95% CI=1.29~1.56) and higher subjective social status (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.45~1.71) were associated with higher odds of reporting good self-rated health status. Furthermore, significant moderating effects of formal social activity and subjective social status were observed, such that the association between depression and self-rated health status was attenuated and no longer statistically significant at higher levels of these variables (<i>p</i>>.05).Conclusion: This study examined factors associated with self-rated health status among community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 and explored the moderating roles of formal social activity and subjective social status in the association between depression and self-rated health status, thereby providing implications for research on older adult health.