{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T16:29:55Z","timestamp":1793809795646,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777939200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosmentalhealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Ment Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>With increasing life-expectancy, the older population of Nepal has also been increasing with Nepal census 2021 reporting 60 years and above population to be 10.21%. Nepal also has a high migration rate with 2.2 million absentee population reported in the 2021 census. Outmigration of adult children can negatively impact parental health, including loneliness, depression, and poor psychological health, despite potentially increasing parents\u2019 financial resources and access to welfare services. This study aims to evaluate the level of depression and their associated factors among the empty nest older population residing in ward number 9 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City after adult children\u2019s migration. A cross-sectional mixed-method study was carried out among 140 older parents aged over 60, with all children migrated abroad, selected randomly from a social security list. Depression was measured using Geriatric Depression Scale and regression analysis was performed. Qualitative part included 21 in-depth interviews analyzed thematically and triangulated with quantitative data. The study revealed that nearly half of empty nesters had depression, with 30% mild and 5% severe. The study identified that single (widowed, divorced or separated) parents had 28.3 times higher cumulative odds of being in a higher category of depressive symptoms, i.e., \u201cmoderate\/severe and mild\u201d versus \u201cmild and normal\u201d compared to those who are married and living together with their spouses holding constant all other variables. Qualitative interviews supported these findings, highlighting depression among older, widowed parents. The empty nest older population are at increased risk of suffering from depression. Due to the limited evidence, this study investigates if adult children\u2019s migration affects the mental health of older parents in Nepal, specifically aiming to understand depression among them and inform policies for their better psychological well-being.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pmen.0000239","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]],"date-time":"2026-05-05T17:37:21Z","timestamp":1778002641000},"page":"e0000239","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pmen.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Depression among older parents\u2019 and their associated factors after adult children\u2019s migration: A mixed method study in an urban setting of Kathmandu Metropolitan City"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"3","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5261-240X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Soniya","family":"Shrestha","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-3817-3007","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Bigya","family":"Tuladhar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0005-5534-4876","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Yamuna","family":"Chhetri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0455-8039","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Sapana","family":"Ghimire","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Madhusudan","family":"Subedi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"pmen.0000239.ref001","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Ageing and health [Internet]. World Health Organization. [cited 2024 Nov 12]. Available from: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/ageing-and-health"},{"key":"pmen.0000239.ref002","unstructured":"National Statistics Office. National Population and Housing Census 2021 National Report [Internet]. Central Bureau of Statistics; 2023 Mar [cited 2023 Aug 28]. Available from: https:\/\/censusnepal.cbs.gov.np\/results\/downloads\/national"},{"key":"pmen.0000239.ref003","unstructured":"Central Bureau of Statistics. National Population and Housing Census 2011 (National Report). 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Gender differences in the longitudinal association between husbands\u2019 and wives\u2019 depressive symptoms among Korean older adults: the moderating effects of the spousal relationship. Qual Life Res [Internet]. 2021 Dec [cited 2024 Apr 9];30(12):3535\u201346. 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