Trajectories of life course financial disadvantage and depressive mood: Results from the National Survey of the Japanese Elderly.

Background: Health status in old age can be influenced by financial disadvantages both at present and in earlier life stages; however, few studies have focused on the long-term individual patterns of financial disadvantage over the life course. This study examined the relationship between trajectories of financial disadvantage over the life course and depressive mood among community-dwelling older Japanese adults.

Methods: Data were obtained from the 2012 National Survey of the Japanese Elderly using a two-stage stratified random sampling method. The sample consisted of 1,324 adults aged ≥60 years. We retrospectively assessed financial disadvantage at four life-course benchmark periods: ≤18 years old, 25-35 years old, 35-50 years old, and current age. Depressive mood was measured using the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.

Results: We identified five distinct life-course financial disadvantage trajectories using group-based mixture modeling: "persistently affluent" (22.1%), "increasing affluence" (21.7%), "consistently modest" (28.0%), "decreasing affluence" (11.3%), and "persistently poor" (17.0%). A logistic regression analysis showed that people in the "increasing affluence" subgroup were less likely to have a depressive mood than those in the "persistently poor" subgroup, after adjusting for potential covariates, including current income and parental educational attainment. This association was more prominent in women than in men.

Conclusion: The experience of escaping from financial disadvantages may bolster the mental health of older adults, regardless of sociodemographic characteristics, health behaviors, and health conditions. The mental health benefits of increasing affluence throughout the life course may be even stronger than the benefits of experiencing persistent affluence.