Risk of late-life depression across 10 European Union countries - Deconstructing the education effect

Objective: Assess influence of education and noneducation-based measures of socioeconomic status on depression, illuminating the cumulative and income-adjusted effects cross-nationally. Method: Cross-sectional study of 22,777 men and women (50 to 104 years) from 10 European countries. Individual-level data were collected from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Results: Educational attainment was a strong predictor of late-life depression across all countries. Depression rates ranged from 18.10% in Denmark to 36.84% in Spain, reflecting a North-South gradient. Odds of depression were approximately twice as high among adults with less than a high school education compared with those of greater educational background (p <.001). Inverse association between educational attainment and depression remained significant independent of all other sociodemographic variables. Discussion: Socioeconomic disparities in depression persist throughout later life. Variation in impact of education on depression cross-nationally illuminates need for future research into the protective effects of early-life education.