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. 2024 Mar;21(3):284-293.
doi: 10.30773/pi.2023.0212. Epub 2024 Mar 25.

Association of Geriatric Depressive Symptoms and Government-Initiated Senior Employment Program: A Population-Based Study

Soyeon Park  1 , Yeojin Kim  1 , Sunwoo Yoon  1 , You Jin Nam  1 , Sunhwa Hong  1 , Yong Hyuk Cho  1 , Sang Joon Son  1   2 , Chang Hyung Hong  1   2 , Jai Sung Noh  1 , Hyun Woong Roh  1   2
Affiliations

Association of Geriatric Depressive Symptoms and Government-Initiated Senior Employment Program: A Population-Based Study

Soyeon Park et al. Psychiatry Investig. 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: The impact of the government-initiated senior employment program (GSEP) on geriatric depressive symptoms is underexplored. Unearthing this connection could facilitate the planning of future senior employment programs and geriatric depression interventions. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the possible association between geriatric depressive symptoms and GSEP in older adults.

Methods: This study employed data from 9,287 participants aged 65 or older, obtained from the 2020 Living Profiles of Older People Survey. We measured depressive symptoms using the Korean version of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. The principal exposure of interest was employment status and GSEP involvement. Data analysis involved multiple linear regression.

Results: Employment, independent of income level, showed association with decreased depressive symptoms compared to unemployment (p<0.001). After adjustments for confounding variables, participation in GSEP jobs showed more significant reduction in depressive symptoms than non-GSEP jobs (β=-0.968, 95% confidence interval [CI]=-1.197 to -0.739, p<0.001 for GSEP jobs, β=-0.541, 95% CI=-0.681 to -0.401, p<0.001 for non-GSEP jobs). Notably, the lower income tertile in GSEP jobs showed a substantial reduction in depressive symptoms compared to all income tertiles in non-GSEP jobs.

Conclusion: The lower-income GSEP group experienced lower depressive symptoms and life dissatisfaction compared to non-GSEP groups regardless of income. These findings may provide essential insights for the implementation of government policies and community-based interventions.

Keywords: Employment status; Geriatric depression; Income level; Senior employment program.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flowchart of study participants. LPOPS, Living Profiles of Old People Survey; MMSE-DS, Mini Mental Status Examination–Dementia Screening; GSEP, government-initiated senior employment program.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Number of members of seven groups. GSEP, government-initiated senior employment program.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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