• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2017

Objectives: Although the number of the oldest-old is rapidly increasing due to longevity, very little is known about the trajectory of depressive symptoms(DS) and its related factors among the oldest-old. Much less is known about whether the trajectory of DS differs by gender among the oldest-old. The current study aims (1) to estimate the trajectory of DS and (2) to examine whether the trajectory differs by gender among the oldest-old. Methods: Sample consists of 296 persons aged 85 and over who participated in the Korean Welfare Panel Study data. Data were processed using the latent growth curve modeling to estimate the trajectory and multi-group SEM to examine gender difference. Results: This study showed that (1) the trajectory of DS was increasing over time and (2) the DS trajectory of males was much more rapidly increasing than that of females, indicating male oldest old are more vulnerable to depression than female oldest old in later life. Conclusions: Given the fact that females are known to be more vulnerable to depression, the findings are counterintuitive to the previous knowledge on depression and gender difference. Based on the findings, implications for intervention and education related to DS among the oldest-old.