Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hearing loss and depression are important health issues among the middle-aged and older population. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the associations between hearing loss and depressive symptom trajectories in the Chinese middle-aged and older adult population. METHODS: The survey data of 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018 waves collected in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were used for analysis. The latent growth mixture modeling approach was used to explore the trajectories of depressive symptoms. Hearing loss was identified through self-reporting, and depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. The associations between hearing loss and depressive symptom trajectories were examined using logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 4768 participants without depressive symptoms at baseline were included for analysis. Among them, 4 depressive symptom trajectories, including "stable low symptoms" (n=3656, 76.68%), "slowly progressing symptoms" (n=503, 10.55%), "relieved symptoms after progression" (n=467, 9.79%), and "rapidly progressing symptoms" (n=142, 2.98%) were identified. Hearing loss was found to be significantly associated with the trajectory of "rapidly progressing symptoms." CONCLUSIONS: The trajectories of depressive symptoms in middle-aged and older people have 4 types with distinct patterns. Hearing loss is associated with the progression of depressive symptoms, and its impact is more significant for males, affecting not only symptom severity but also progression speed. These findings indicate that the mental health status of middle-aged and older people with hearing loss requires careful consideration, and timely interventions should be provided.