The Ripple Effect: A Serial Mediation Analysis of Multimorbidity and Depressive Symptoms Among Women in Midlife in China.

The prevalence of multimorbidity and depressive symptoms among women in midlife was 10.35% and 41.50%, respectively.

Our findings highlight a specific cascade of effects, where functional limitations, self-rated health, and life satisfaction serially and partially mediated the association between multimorbidity and depressive symptoms (total effect c=1.206, 95% CI=0.986 to 1.426; direct effect c'=0.421, 95% CI=0.220 to 0.622; total indirect effect ab=0.785, 95% CI=0.655 to 0.918).