Women over 60 live twice the number of years with depressive symptoms than men in all regions of the country. Female carers are at greater risk due to the lack of support, according to a study by the Millennium Institute MICARE.
Chile has some of the poorest mental health outcomes in Latin America. Although depression is one of the most widespread mental health conditions, it doesn’t impact everyone equally: older women are the most affected.
According to a recent study that analyses regional and gender disparities in relation to depression and life expectancy in older people, although Chilean women live on average seven years more than men after the age of 60, this does not necessarily mean they live healthier lives, particularly when it comes to mental health.
The research, published in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, reveals that women over the age of 60 in Chile live twice as many years with depressive symptoms than men in all regions of the country.
“Women bear a disproportionate burden of depression throughout their lives, which affect their quality of life, functionality and life expectancy”, says Sarahí Rueda, a researcher at Universidad Mayor and the Millennium Institute for Care Research (MICARE) who led the study.
The study uses longitudinal data of a sample of 2,263 older adults in Chile analyzing how their social, demographic, and health characteristics change over time.
Caregiving also makes you sick
The study suggests that the high presence of depressive symptoms among older women may be linked to the perimenopause period, during which hormonal changes occur. Besides, social and cultural factors, such as persistent gender disparities, contribute to increased stress levels and the risk of depression in older adults.
It also highlights that women carers are at greater risk of depression, pointing out that in Chile most carers are women, particularly women over 60, who often care for others without support, which negatively impacts both their mental and physical health.
“It’s important to consider the impact of culture and traditional roles on women’s mental health, particularly the overburden of caregiving, which is often taken on without financial or other forms of support at home and elsewhere”, indicates Rueda.
Another important finding is that men over 60 living in the south and north of Chile live 3.6 and 4.6 more years, respectively, without depressive symptoms compared to those in the Metropolitan Region.
“These geographic differences highlight the impact of social and economic factors on the functioning of mental health services in each region. In Chile, this is especially critical due to pronounced regional disparities and limited access to specialized health services”, explains Rueda.
The study also identifies a strong connection between depression and multimorbidity, showing that the presence of two or more chronic health conditions in older people reduces the number of years lived without depressive symptoms by four years in men and 5.7 years in women.
Rueda concludes that Chile faces a significant challenge in tailoring its mental health strategies to regional and gender needs: “The National Mental Health Plan does not account for the country’s geographic diversity. It lacks interventions designed for local contexts. With our data, we urge the design and implementation of regionally responsive programs, as some groups face greater vulnerability and require differentiated approaches”.