Categorical characteristics of depressive symptoms in the Chinese residents: from preadolescent period to old age

Depressive symptoms are a prevalent mental health problem among people of all ages globally, and identifying the heterogeneous characteristics of depressive symptoms in individuals of different ages is of great theoretical significance and practical value in developing prevention or intervention priorities for different populations. The current study utilized single-group latent class analysis and multi-group latent class analysis to explore the latent class of depressive symptoms across various age groups of Chinese residents, encompassing individuals from preadolescent to old age (N = 30,820). Depressive symptoms were assessed by the 8-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D8). Results indicated the five subtypes of depressive symptoms existed among Chinese residents, labeled as the “lack of positive affect” class, “low depressive symptoms” class, “high negative symptoms” class, “high depressive symptoms” class and “possible clinical depression” class, with the “possible clinical depression” class only found in adults. These results highlight the heterogeneous nature of depressive symptoms and the distinction between subtypes of depressive symptoms during adolescence and adulthood, thereby offering valuable insights to inform the design and implementation of targeted interventions.