Prevalence and network analysis of depressive, anxiety and cognitive symptoms among oldest-old population in China

The oldest-old people are prone to such psychological and mental risks as depression, anxiety, and cognitive dysfunction. Yet which specific symptom poses the biggest threat remains elusive, especially when the characteristics of a certain sample are considered. Using network analysis, the current study examined a pool of symptoms in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey and established a network model. Depression was more prevalent (67.4%) among the oldest-old Chinese than anxiety (11.2%). Depressive, anxiety, and cognitive symptoms exhibited very weak interrelations, and “feeling depressed” was the most prominent symptom in the whole network model. Based on such findings, interventions should be targeted at depressive symptoms to improve mental health for this population.