The Role of Muscular Strength on the Relationship between Number of Chronic Diseases and Depressive Symptom in Older Adults

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate whether muscular strength modulates the relationship between the number of chronic diseases (NCD) and depression in older adults of Korean descent. METHODS Data from the Living Profiles of Older People Survey including 10,097 older adults of Korean descent aged ≥65 years were used. Depressive symptoms were defined as a score of ≥8 on the self-administered Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Muscular strength was assessed through a self-reported questionnaire. Chronic diseases comprising the NCD were defined as physician-diagnosed long-term conditions. RESULTS Depressive symptoms were more prevalent as the NCD increased in both male (odds ratio [OR]=2.650; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.214-3.172, p