Financial strain and depressive symptoms among Hong Kong Chinese elderly: A longitudinal study

For many Hong Kong Chinese elderly, depression and financial strain are qui te common occurrences. This study examines the impact of financial strain o n depressive symptoms. The data came from a longitudinal study of a represe ntative community sample of the elderly population in Hong Kong. Using mult iple regression models, the authors found that elderly persons with higher financial strain reported more depressive symptoms three years later, even after controlling socio-demographic, physical health status and social supp ort variables. In addition, financial strain influenced the depression equa lly among men and women. The data do not show evidence of a stress-bufferin g effect of social support on the negative consequences of financial strain on depression. Among women, poor physical health aggravated the adverse ef fect of financial strain on depressive symptoms. But among men, poor health moderated the impact of financial strain on depression.