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Table 1 Sample characteristics [mean (SD) or percent] by categories of social participation at the 1989 baseline interviews in the Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging (TLSA)

From: Social participation reduces depressive symptoms among older adults: An 18-year longitudinal analysis in Taiwan

 

Continuous participation from baseline to age 70

Initiating participation from baseline to age 70

Ceased participation after baseline

Never participated

before age 70

Dropped out

before age 70

Total

 

(n = 259)

(n = 274)

(n = 200)

(n = 359)

(n = 296)

(n = 1,388)

Health status

      

Physical disability: One and more functioning limitations (%)

28.57b

33.94

33.50

40.67a

42.91ab**

36.53

Chronic disease: One and more chronic conditions (%)

15.83

13.50a

17.00

14.76

22.64a*

16.71

Socio-demographic characteristics

      

Male (%)

80.31aef

57.66ceg

76.50b

43.73abcd

68.58dfg***

63.33

Ethnicity (%)

      

   Fukianese

51.35a

62.77c

47.50bc

65.74ab

58.11***

58.21

   Hakka

15.06

16.06

14.00

15.32

10.14

14.12

   Mainlander

33.59ad

21.17def

38.50be

18.94abc

31.76cf***

27.67

Socioeconomic position

      

Education (%)

      

   Illiterate

17.76ad

31.02d

19.50b

38.44abc

25.68c***

27.67

   Incomplete primary education

10.04

15.69

15.00

18.11

17.91

15.63

   Completed primary education

36.68

33.58

34.00

27.02

28.72

31.48

   High school graduate and above

35.52ae

19.71cef

31.50bf

16.43abcd

27.70d***

25.22

Work status (%)

      

   No work

27.03b

17.15ac

33.50

30.92a

40.54bc

29.90

   Full- or part-time work

53.28ac

51.09bd

47.00

37.05ab

38.51cd***

44.60

   Assisting family

19.69ad

31.75def

19.50be

32.03abc

20.95cf***

25.50

Home owned (%)

74.52b

78.10d

74.00c

72.70a

60.14abcd***

71.61

Family background

      

Lives with family (%)

80.69a

81.75b

74.00

73.26

64.19ab***

74.50

CES-D score

      

Negative affect domain

2.02ad

(2.94)

2.16ce

(3.22)

2.54b

(3.84)

3.55abc

(4.54)

3.52de***

(4.55)

2.84

(3.99)

Lack of positive affect domain

2.63acd

(2.35)

3.14b

(2.26)

3.51c

(2.32)

3.67ab

(2.14)

3.53d***

(2.18)

3.32

(2.27)

  1. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001
  2. a, b, c, d, e, f, g Bonferroni post hoc tests: values with identical superscripts differ at the 0.05 level.