Longitudinal associations between psychological well-being and depressive symptoms among older adults in the Baltic states
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Depression in later life is a pressing public health concern that is often comorbid with chronic illness and associated with substantial declines in psychological well-being. Drawing on the dual continua model of mental health, this study investigated the longitudinal, bidirectional associations between psychological well-being and depressive symptoms among older adults in the Baltic States. Using two waves of data (2019/2020 and 2021/2022) from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we analyzed responses from 5,874 individuals aged 50 and above in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Psychological well-being was assessed using the CASP-12 scale, and depressive symptoms using the EURO-D scale. A cross-lagged panel model, adjusted for age, gender, and multimorbidity, revealed that both constructs were moderately stable over time and negatively associated in each wave. Notably, psychological well-being at baseline significantly predicted depressive symptoms 2 years later (β = −0.17, p < 0.001), and depressive symptoms also predicted subsequent well-being (β = −0.07, p < 0.001), suggesting a bidirectional relationship with stronger effects from well-being to depression. These findings support the dual continua model and underscore the importance of promoting psychological well-being to mitigate depression risk in ageing populations.
Source: Frontiers in Psychology
Institutions: Vilnius University, Riga Stradiņš University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
Awards: Social Sciences & Humanities Open Cloud, Multinational Advancement of Research Infrastructures on Ageing, G1178032220, G1237079599, G1330667123, G1397107050, G1428006373, G1565542540, G1608581485, G1708035608, G1750703574, G1756054413, G1778268290, G1781191216, G1820526844, G2077389594, G2343781458, G2576676356, G2593358879, G2841052746, G2881429984, G288447808, G2980185162, G3166864496, G323020161, Achieving world-class standards in all SHARE countries, G3361099077, G3440788226, G3457581384, G3497955178, G3654244103, G3687180791, G4096536797, G4165969582, RAND Center for the Study of Aging, G4290142911, G434337789, Upgrading the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe – preparatory phase, G4545110052, G4569152855, G4587185496, Cohesion in further developing and innovating SHARE across all 28 member countries, G4723430573, G4847675667, G5021238699, G503278667, G504669776, G5062201959, Data Service Infrastructure for the Social Sciences and Humanities, G5207492846, G5618942462, Non-intended health, economic and social effects of the COVID-19 epidemic control decisions: Lessons from SHARE (SHARE-COVID19), G5857780965, G6053673296, G6055688980, G6122222817, G6476390097, G6678519423, G6767647029, G6969501727, G6978085111, Synergies for Europe's Research Infrastructures in the Social Sciences, G751768989, DEVELOPING AN ISRAELI VERSION OF THE HRS/SHARE PROJECT, G859642178, G8677177991, Longitudinal Enhancement and Access imProvement of the SHARE infrastructure, G8806983220, G8875743412, G8957671751, G9000113159, G93458789
OpenAlex ID: W4414742809