Risk of late-life depression across 10 European Union countries: deconstructing the education effect.
OBJECTIVE
Assess influence of education and noneducation-based measures of socioeconomic status on depression, illuminating the cumulative and income-adjusted effects cross-nationally.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study of 22,777 men and women (50 to 104 years) from 10 European countries. Individual-level data were collected from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).


RESULTS
Educational attainment was a strong predictor of late-life depression across all countries. Depression rates ranged from 18.10% in Denmark to 36.84% in Spain, reflecting a North- South gradient. Odds of depression were approximately twice as high among adults with less than a high school education compared with those of greater educational background (p < .001). Inverse association between educational attainment and depression remained significant independent of all other sociodemographic variables.


CONCLUSIONS
Socioeconomic disparities in depression persist throughout later life. Variation in impact of education on depression cross-nationally illuminates need for future research into the protective effects of early-life education.
Ladin
Keren
K
Harvard School of Public Health; Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA), Universität Mannheim, 68131 Mannheim, Germany. kladin@post.harvard.edu
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005062:European Union; D006801:Humans; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors