Attitudes toward aging, social support and depression among older adults: Difference by urban and rural areas in China

A survey of 7209 older adults in China found that positive attitudes toward aging are significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms.

• Positive attitudes toward aging are linked to reduced depressive symptoms (β=-0.139, P<0.001).
• Negative attitudes toward aging are associated with increased depressive symptoms (β=0.284, P<0.001).
• Support from family correlates with lower depressive symptoms among both urban (β=-0.087, P<0.001) and rural (β=-0.109, P<0.001) older adults.
• Support from friends and government is associated with lower depressive symptoms only in urban older adults.
• Family support mitigates the impact of negative attitudes toward aging on depressive symptoms across all older adults.

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