Objective  To analyze the depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and comorbidities among the elderly in Jiangsu province and their influencing factors, thus providing data support for the prevention and control of depression and anxiety in the elderly.

Methods The data from the Elderly Psychological Care Action Project that was carried out in Jiangsu province from 2022 to 2024 were used, a total of 67 817 elderly people aged 65 and above were included in the analysis. Binary logistic regression and unordered multinomial logistic regression models were used to analyze the influencing factors of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and comorbidities.

Results The detection rates of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms among elderly people aged 65 and above in Jiangsu province were 5.1%, 2.7%, and 2.1%, respectively. Binary logistic regression and unordered multinomial logistic regression analyses showed that the risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in female elderly people were 1.206, 1.211, and 1.189 times that in male elderly people, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people aged 85 and above were 1.313, 1.389, and 1.508 times that of those aged 65–69, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people with chronic diseases were 2.217, 2.079, and 2.242 times that of those without chronic diseases, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people with 1–5 years of education were 0.689, 0.594, and 0.528 times that of those with no education, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people with 6–10 years of education were 0.856, 0.619, and 0.587 times that of those with no education, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people satisfied with their relationship with their children were 0.742, 0.500, and 0.573 times that of those without children, respectively. The risks of depression and comorbidities in elderly people dissatisfied with their relationship with their children were 1.797 and 1.707 times that of those without children, respectively. The risks of anxiety and comorbidities in unmarried elderly people were 2.013 and 1.915 times that of married elderly people, respectively. The risks of anxiety and comorbidities in elderly people dissatisfied with their relationship with their spouse were 2.931 and 2.874 times that of those without a spouse, respectively. The risks of anxiety and comorbidities in elderly people with poor relationships with friends were 1.891 and 1.851 times that of those without friends, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people who regularly participated in elderly activities were 0.649, 0.630, and 0.633 times that of those who did not participate, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people with negative attitudes towards aging were 1.363, 1.277, and 1.365 times that of those who did not have a clear attitude, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people with positive attitudes towards aging were 0.470, 0.408, and 0.349 times that of those who did not have a clear attitude, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people with poor psychological resilience were 2.345, 2.138, and 2.482 times that of those with good psychological resilience, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people satisfied with their overall life were 0.186, 0.154, and 0.119 times that of those dissatisfied, respectively. The risks of depression, anxiety, and comorbidities in elderly people engaged in various non-paid work in daily life were higher than those engaged in paid work (all P<0.05).

Conclusions The detection rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms among elderly people aged 65 and above in Jiangsu province are relatively low. Gender, age, marital status, educational background, chronic diseases status, the relationships with relatives and friends, the main daily work, participation in elderly activities, attitude towards aging, psychological resilience, and overall satisfaction with current life are influencing factors for depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and comorbidities in the elderly.