Gender-based depression factors of older adults living alone during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional and secondary data approach

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic negatively affected the mental health of older adults living alone. This study aimed to examine the differences in factors that influence depression among older adults based on gender. This study was a cross-sectional study employing the secondary data of 3581 older adults living alone at the early stage of COVID-19, collected from the 2020 Korea Community Health Survey, and used multiple linear regression analyses to identify factors associated with depression. We found that women had a higher level of depressive status than men. Low subjective health status was most significantly related to depression in both older men and older women. For women, body mass index and more changes in daily life due to COVID-19 were predictors of depression. Conversely, for men, a lower level of monthly income and smoking were significant predictors of depression. Depressive status caused by COVID-19 was likely to be frailer for older women who were living alone. There were differences in the factors related to depression due to COVID-19 by gender.