Impaired family functioning is associated with depressive symptoms in a community-dwelling Japanese population: The Hisayama Study

Abstract

Background

Several clinical studies have reported an association between impaired family functioning and depressive symptoms. However, epidemiological evidence is limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between family functioning and the presence of depressive symptoms in a community-dwelling Japanese population.

Methods

A total of 2,595 participants aged ≥40 years were included. Impaired family functioning levels were assessed by using a short version of the general functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (GF6+). Impaired family functioning levels were categorized as healthy (GF6+ score: ≤1.80), borderline (1.81–2.00), or unhealthy (>2.00). The presence of depressive symptoms was defined as a score of ≥10 on Patient Health Questionaire-9. A logistic regression model was used to compute the odds ratios (ORs) for the presence of depressive symptom.

Results

The age-adjusted prevalence of depressive symptoms was 5.4 % for men and 7.0 % for women. In both sexes, the age-adjusted prevalence of depressive symptoms increased significantly with increasing impaired family functioning levels (both P for trend <0.001). The ORs (95 % confidence intervals) for having depressive symptoms among the borderline and unhealthy groups were 3.32 (1.51–7.29) and 4.09 (1.76–9.54) for men, and 1.04 (0.56–1.95) and 3.02 (1.76–5.18) for women, respectively, compared with the healthy group after adjustment for potential confounders.

Limitation

Reverse causality is possible due to the cross-sectional design.

Conclusions

Impaired family functioning was associated with an increased risk of the presence of depressive symptoms. It may be important considering the family functioning in managing depressive symptoms.