ABSTRACT
Objective To understand the depression status and its influencing factors of Chenzhou rural widowed elderly with different genders.Methods A random sample of 342 widowed elderly from 30 villages was investigated using the Geriatric Depression Scale and a self-designed questionnaire.Results Widowed elderly depression detection rate was 29.8％,depressive symptoms among elderly women detection rate was 34.7％,higher than men's depressive symptoms detection rate,which was 22.9％.Binary Logistic regression analysis showed:Alone,decreased self-care ability was the common risk factors of depressive symptoms of widowed elderly.The impact on men was bigger than on female.Age,chronic diseases were the main factors affecting depression status of elderly men,and economic security was the main factors affecting the depression status of elderly women.Conclusions The incidence of depressive symptoms in rural widowed elderly is high,but there are differences between widowed elderly with different genders in depression status and influencing factors.Therefore the community workers need to take targeted interventions to promote mental health for the elderly.