title: Depression and subjective economy among elderly people in Asian communities: Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate the cross-cultural relationship between depressive state and subjective economic status, as well as subjective quality of life (QOL) and activities of daily living (ADL) among elderly people in communities in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. We studied 595 subjects aged 65 years or older in three Asian communities (261 subjects in T town in Japan, 164 in D town in Taiwan, and 170 in H town in Korea). The Geriatric Depression Scale-15, a self-rating questionnaire assessing ADL, subjective QOL, social situations, and past and current medical status, was used. Depression of the elderly was associated with dependence in basic ADL, subjective QOL, and subjective sense of low economic status. After adjusting for the effects of age, sex, and basic ADL, subjective sense of low economic status was closely associated with depression in community-living elderly people in all three communities in Asia. In conclusion, absolute and objective economic status is an important contributing factor to depressive state or psychosocial deterioration, however, we should pay more attention to the roles of perception of low economic status in determining depressive state in community-dwelling elderly people.
authors.affiliation: Field Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan. Electronic address: ihits@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Hissei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.affiliation: Field Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Wen-ling
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Field Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Kyoto University, Yoshida Konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Eriko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fukutomi
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, 335 Takashima-cho, Marutamachi Kawaramachi nishi-iru, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyohito
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okumiya
authors.affiliation: The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, 46 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Taizo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, 46 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Hakubi Center, Kyoto University, Yoshida Ushinomiya-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8302, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryota
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.affiliation: The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, 46 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.affiliation: The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, 46 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishimoto
authors.affiliation: The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, 46 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Yumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: National Chenk Kung University, No.1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chia-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: The Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, 46 Yoshida Shimoadachi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsubayashi
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012923:Social Class; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Activities of daily living; Community-dwelling elderly; Depression; Quality of life; Subjective sense of economic status