The longitudinal relationship between leisure activities and depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults: an autoregressive cross-lagged analysis approach

Background Existing studies have shown a correlation between leisure activities and depressive symptoms in older adults, but the direction of the longitudinal relationship is inconsistent. This study used an autoregressive cross-lagged model to examine the longitudinal relationship between leisure activity participation and geriatric depression. Methods A total of 7,138 participants aged 60 years or older from the 2nd to the 4th wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were analysed. Results First, present depressive symptoms were significantly associated with future depressive symptoms (beta(2013-2015) = .893, p < .001; beta(2015-2018) = .946, p < .001), and the same rule applied to leisure activities (beta(2013-2015) = .402, p < .001; beta(2015-2018) = .404, p < .001). Second, current depressive symptoms negatively predicted future leisure activities (beta(2013-2015) = -.071, p < .001; beta(2015-2018) = -.085, p < .001), but the inverse relationship was not statistically significant (beta(2013-2015) = -.003, p > .05; beta(2015-2018) = -.003, p > .05). Conclusion These findings underscore the importance of interventions targeting depressive symptoms to potentially enhance engagement in leisure activities among older adults. The results contribute to the understanding of the complex dynamics between mental health and lifestyle choices in older populations, highlighting the potential of proactive mental health interventions to improve overall well-being.