Association between injury and depression in ageing population: longitudinal evidence from the Czech HAPIEE study

Abstract Background Experiencing an injury can have profound and lasting effects on both physical and mental health. This impact is pronounced in ageing population, where an injury can substantially diminish quality of life. Given the vulnerability of this population, it is crucial to understand the interconnection between injuries and mental health. Methods We used data on 4753 subjects (55% females, mean age 58.3 years) from the Czech arm of the prospective HAPIEE cohort study. Depressive symptoms were assessed in eight waves of data collection using the validated CESD-10 scale. At Wave 2, participants reported whether they had experienced an injury within the previous 12 months. The longitudinal effect of experiencing injuries on the progression of depression over 15 years of follow up was assessed using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models, adjusted for age, sex, education, marital status, self-rated health, comorbidities, physical functioning and previous depressive symptoms. Results Overall, 10% of participants reported experiencing an injury at Wave 2. The incidence of injury did not differ by age or sex. Participants experiencing injury had 45% higher odds of depression at the beginning of follow-up (Wave 2), compared to those without an injury (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.06–1.99, p = 0.021) after controlling for covariates. The wave-injury interaction suggested a trend towards attenuation of the difference in depression odds between injured and uninjured participants over subsequent follow-up waves, however, did not reach statistical significance (OR = 0.91; CI: 0.82–1.00, p = 0.053). The association between injury and depression did not differ significantly across subgroups. Conclusion Experiencing injury in later life is associated with early increase of depressive symptoms highlighting the need for targeted mental health support and injury prevention strategies.