Research

Policy Points

• Countries have adopted different strategies to support aging populations, which are broadly reflected in social, economic, and contextual environments. Referred to as “societal adaptation to aging,” these factors affect countries’ capacity to support older adults.
• Results from our study show that countries with more robust societal adaptation to aging had lower depression prevalence. Reductions in depression prevalence occurred among every investigated sociodemographic group and were most pronounced among the old-old.
• Findings suggest that societal factors have an underacknowledged role in shaping depression risk. Policies that improve societal approaches to aging may reduce depression prevalence among older adults.