Associations Between Sensory Loss and Depressive Symptoms in a Longitudinal National Study of Ageing Adults in Thailand

Sensory loss and depressive symptoms (DS) may be an increasing concern in ageing adults. Some previous studies in China found bidirectional associations between sensory loss and DS, but we lack information on this relationship in Southeast Asia. The purpose of this study was to assess the bidirectional association between sensory loss and DS in a longitudinal study in Thailand.

The responses of participants (≥ 45 years) of two consecutive waves (2015 and 2017) of the Health, Aging and Retirement in Thailand (HART) study were analysed. Sensory loss was assessed with self-reported questions and DS with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale.

The analytic baseline sample included 3708 participants (median = 66 years) who responded to the 2015 and 2017 survey. The prevalence of vision, hearing and dual sensory loss were 25.4%, 13.3% and 7.9%, respectively, and the prevalence of DS was 12.3%. In the final model, adjusted for relevant confounders, vision, hearing, and sensory loss at baseline were positively associated with incident DS (AOR: 1.34, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.74; AOR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.23 to 2.38; and AOR: 1.80, 95% CI: 1.20 to 2.69, respectively). DS at baseline was not significantly associated with incident vision, hearing or dual sensory loss.

Baseline vision, hearing, and dual sensory loss increase the odds of incident DS, but baseline DS did not significantly increase the odds of incident vision, hearing, or dual sensory loss among ageing adults in Thailand.