MedicineJul 1, 2022

Empty nest and its link to depression symptoms in older Chinese adults

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Mar 29, 2026

Abstract

Among the elderly population in China, 48% are individuals, with a 43.7% prevalence of .

Empty nest status is positively associated with depressive symptoms in older adults.
The odds of experiencing depressive symptoms are 1.28 times higher for empty-nest elderly compared to those with family living with them.
Empty nesters are more likely to report depressive symptoms regardless of whether they live alone or with a spouse.
The findings suggest that being an empty nester may be a significant risk factor for depressive symptoms in this demographic.

Simplified

Currently, has become one type of the family pattern among the old population and it influences the old population's mental health. The current study aimed to explore the association between the empty nest and (DSs) among the elderly population in China. Data were obtained from baseline of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between the empty nest and DS among Chinese older adults. In the current study, 48% of the subjects were empty-nest elderly. The prevalence of DS was 43.7% among the empty-nest old population, which was higher than the nonempty nesters. A positive association was found between the empty nest and DS; the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 1.28 (1.16-1.42). No matter living with a spouse or living alone, empty nesters were more likely to have DS than nonempty nesters. Empty nest is a risk factor for having DS among the old population in China, especially among those who live without a spouse. Our result is valuable for the development of special family support DS prevention programs for those who were empty nest.

Key numbers

43.7%

Prevalence of

Among elderly in China.

1.28×

Increased Risk of

For empty nesters compared to nonempty nesters.

1.65×

Risk of Living Alone

For empty nesters living alone compared to those living with a spouse.

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Funding

Competing interests

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

PubMed

Empty nest and its link to depression symptoms in older Chinese adults

Abstract

Key numbers

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

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Abstract

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Full Text

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Competing interests

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