Objective   To examine prevalence and influencing factors of depression symptoms among disabled elderly in Henan province and to provide references for promoting the integration of medical and elderly care.

  Methods   Using stratified multistage cluster sampling, we conducted a household face-to-face survey among 6 667 urban and rural residents aged 60 years and above in 18 municipalities/prefectures of Henan province during 2019. The Ability Assessment Criteria for the Elderly issued by Ministry of Civil Affairs of China was adopted in the study; the prevalence of depression symptoms among the elderly with disabilities were analyzed and binary logistic regression was used to explore influencing factors of depression symptoms.

  Results  Among the 5 570 elderly residents with valid information, 3 615 were identified with disabilities and of the disabled elderly, 9.13% (330) were assessed with depression symptoms. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that with an education of college and above, with moderate or severe disability, with moderate or severe disability in daily life, with different levels of impaired mental state, with moderate or severe impaired perception and communication, and severe impaired social participation were significant risk factors for depression symptoms (P < 0.05 for all) and aged ≥ 90 years and being married or divorced were protective factors against depression symptoms (both P < 0.05).

  Conclusion   Among the disabled elderly residents in Henan province, the prevalence of depression symptom was at a relatively low level and mainly influenced by age, marital status, education, daily life ability, mental state, ability of perception/communication/social participation, and the extent of disability.