{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,11]],"date-time":"2026-05-11T15:20:02Z","timestamp":1778512802979,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,23]],"date-time":"2025-02-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1740268800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Depression is influenced by a multitude of interconnected factors, including cancer and handgrip strength. The purpose of our study is to examine how handgrip strength and cancer diagnosis are individually and jointly associated with depression. Methods: An observational study was employed using secondary data from the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe waves 7 and 8. The sample comprised 7 641 participants (71.1 \u00b1 7.7 years), from 12 European countries. Results: Having a cancer diagnosis was associated with greater odds of depression (depression 2017 model: OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.75; depression 2019 model: OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.95). Being in a higher handgrip tertile was associated with lower odds of depression (depression 2017 model: tertile 2, OR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.56, 0.74 and tertile 3, OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.49, 0.65; depression 2019 model: tertile 2, OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.64, 0.86 and tertile 3, OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.65, 0.88). The greatest reduction in odds for depression was found for participants without cancer and in the third handgrip strength tertile (depression 2017: OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.29, 0.61; depression 2019: OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.28, 0.58). Conclusions: Both cancer and handgrip strength were associated with depression, with the first increasing its risk and the latter reducing it. Individuals without cancer and in the highest tertile of handgrip strength have lower odds of depression in both analyses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers17050754","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,25]],"date-time":"2025-02-25T07:45:08Z","timestamp":1740469508000},"page":"754","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Individual and Joint Associations of Cancer Diagnosis and Handgrip Strength with Depression in European Middle-Aged and Older Adults"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3418-7518","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos","family":"Vasconcelos","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Higher School of Education of Viseu, Ci&DEI, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Miguel","family":"Peralta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1495-751 Cruz Quebrada, Portugal"},{"name":"ISAMB, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9850-7771","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adilson","family":"Marques","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CIPER, Faculdade de Motricidade Humana, Universidade de Lisboa, 1495-751 Cruz Quebrada, Portugal"},{"name":"ISAMB, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,23]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dobrek, L., and G\u0142owacka, K. (2023). Depression and Its Phytopharmacotherapy\u2014A Narrative Review. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 24.","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms24054772"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1265","DOI":"10.1002\/gps.4923","article-title":"The Association of Insomnia and Depressive Symptoms with All-Cause Mortality among Middle-Aged and Old Adults","volume":"33","author":"Leggett","year":"2018","journal-title":"Int. J. Geriatr. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"449","DOI":"10.1192\/bjp.2019.74","article-title":"The Association of Late-Life Depression with All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","volume":"215","author":"Wei","year":"2019","journal-title":"Br. J. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"55","DOI":"10.1186\/s12991-021-00375-x","article-title":"Prevalence and Determinants of Depression Among Old Age: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","volume":"20","author":"Zenebe","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann. Gen. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Remes, O., Mendes, J.F., and Templeton, P. (2021). Biological, Psychological, and Social Determinants of Depression: A Review of Recent Literature. Brain Sci., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci11121633"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3029","DOI":"10.1002\/cncr.33587","article-title":"The Ever-Increasing Importance of Cancer as a Leading Cause of Premature Death Worldwide","volume":"127","author":"Bray","year":"2021","journal-title":"Cancer"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"209","DOI":"10.3322\/caac.21660","article-title":"Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries","volume":"71","author":"Sung","year":"2021","journal-title":"CA Cancer J. Clin."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"46","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejca.2016.11.017","article-title":"The Risk of Being Depressed Is Significantly Higher in Cancer Patients than in the General Population: Prevalence and Severity of Depressive Symptoms Across Major Cancer Types","volume":"72","author":"Hartung","year":"2017","journal-title":"Eur. J. Cancer"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1173","DOI":"10.1080\/08870446.2010.542815","article-title":"Depression and Medication Adherence among Breast Cancer Survivors: Bridging the Gap with the Theory of Planned Behaviour","volume":"26","author":"Manning","year":"2011","journal-title":"Psychol. Health"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101511","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clinre.2020.07.016","article-title":"The Longitudinal Changes of Anxiety and Depression, Their Related Risk Factors and Prognostic Value in Colorectal Cancer Survivors: A 36-Month Follow-Up Study","volume":"45","author":"Zhou","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. Res. Hepatol. Gastroenterol."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"k1415","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.k1415","article-title":"Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Cancer","volume":"361","author":"Pitman","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMJ Clin. Res. Ed."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1186\/s41043-024-00500-y","article-title":"Hand Grip Strength as a Proposed New Vital Sign of Health: A Narrative Review of Evidences","volume":"43","author":"Vaishya","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Health Popul. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"448","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2018.09.036","article-title":"Handgrip Strength and Depression among 34,129 Adults Aged 50 Years and Older in Six Low- and Middle-Income Countries","volume":"243","author":"Stubbs","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Affect. Disord."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"426","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jad.2022.12.006","article-title":"Reduced Grip Strength Potentially Indicates Depression: Investigating Multicontinental Databases","volume":"323","author":"Oh","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Affect. Disord."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"135","DOI":"10.1192\/bjp.2022.178","article-title":"Dose-Response Association of Handgrip Strength and Risk of Depression: A Longitudinal Study of 115,601 Older Adults from 24 Countries","volume":"222","author":"Calatayud","year":"2023","journal-title":"Br. J. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_16","first-page":"e38632","article-title":"Depression and Handgrip: Unraveling the Association","volume":"15","author":"Ganipineni","year":"2023","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"290","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jshs.2020.06.009","article-title":"Handgrip Strength and Health Outcomes: Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews with Meta-Analyses of Observational Studies","volume":"10","author":"Soysal","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Sport Health Sci."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"535","DOI":"10.1002\/jcsm.12112","article-title":"Reference Ranges of Handgrip Strength from 125,462 Healthy Adults in 21 Countries: A Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiologic (PURE) Study","volume":"7","author":"Leong","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle"},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"e200005","article-title":"Absolute and Body Mass Index Normalized Handgrip Strength Percentiles by Gender, Ethnicity, and Hand Dominance in Americans","volume":"2","author":"McGrath","year":"2020","journal-title":"Adv. Geriatr. Med. Res."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"330","DOI":"10.1192\/bjp.174.4.330","article-title":"Development of the EURO-D Scale: A European Union Initiative to Compare Symptoms of Depression in 14 European Centres","volume":"174","author":"Prince","year":"1999","journal-title":"Br. J. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Baziliansky, S., Holtmaat, K., Erlich, B., Mishor, E., and Verdonck-de Leeuw, I.M. (2023). Longitudinal trajectories of depression and quality of life in a cohort of cancer survivors and individuals without cancer in Europe. J. Cancer Surviv.","DOI":"10.1007\/s11764-023-01505-y"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ikhile, D., Ford, E., Glass, D., Gremesty, G., and van Marwijk, H. (2024). A systematic review of risk factors associated with depression and anxiety in cancer patients. PLoS ONE, 19.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0296892"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Marques, A., Henriques-Neto, D., Peralta, M., Marconcin, P., Gouveia, \u00c9.R., Ferrari, G., Martins, J., and Ihle, A. (2021). Exploring grip strength as a predictor of depression in middle-aged and older adults. Sci. Rep., 11.","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-021-95566-7"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"E328","DOI":"10.1093\/pubmed\/fdy012","article-title":"Physical activity buffers the negative relationship between multimorbidity, self-rated health and life satisfaction","volume":"40","author":"Marques","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1993","DOI":"10.1007\/s40279-018-0952-y","article-title":"Handgrip Strength and Health in Aging Adults","volume":"48","author":"McGrath","year":"2018","journal-title":"Sports Med."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"738","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/afx094","article-title":"Is sarcopenia associated with depression? A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies","volume":"46","author":"Chang","year":"2017","journal-title":"Age Ageing"},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"592","DOI":"10.1093\/ageing\/afv013","article-title":"Association between handgrip strength and depressive symptoms: Locomotive Syndrome and Health Outcomes in Aizu Cohort Study (LOHAS)","volume":"44","author":"Fukumori","year":"2015","journal-title":"Age Ageing"},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.26555\/humanitas.v19i1.10","article-title":"Hand Grip Strength and Depression among Rural Older South Africans","volume":"19","author":"Peltzer","year":"2022","journal-title":"Humanitas"},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111409","DOI":"10.1016\/j.exger.2021.111409","article-title":"Associations between inflammatory markers and muscle strength in older adults according to the presence or absence of obesity","volume":"151","author":"Ribeiro","year":"2021","journal-title":"Exp. Gerontol."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"373","DOI":"10.1111\/acps.12698","article-title":"Peripheral cytokine and chemokine alterations in depression: A meta-analysis of 82 studies","volume":"135","author":"Freitas","year":"2017","journal-title":"Acta Psychiatr. Scand."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.5535\/arm.21106","article-title":"Handgrip Strength: An Irreplaceable Indicator of Muscle Function","volume":"45","author":"Lee","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann. Rehabil. Med."},{"key":"ref_32","first-page":"141","article-title":"Bidirectional association between physical activity and muscular strength in older adults: Results from the UK Biobank study","volume":"46","author":"Cooper","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Epidemiol."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Marques, A., Marconcin, P., Werneck, A.O., Ferrari, G., Gouveia, \u00c9.R., Kliegel, M., Peralta, M., and Ihle, A. (2021). Bidirectional Association between Physical Activity and Dopamine Across Adulthood-A Systematic Review. Brain Sci., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci11070829"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2544","DOI":"10.1002\/brb3.2544","article-title":"The effect of physical exercise on circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor in healthy subjects: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials","volume":"12","author":"Wang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Brain Behav."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.5498\/wjp.v12.i1.77","article-title":"Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and inflammation in depression: Pathogenic partners in crime?","volume":"12","author":"Porter","year":"2022","journal-title":"World J. Psychiatry"},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e14746","DOI":"10.1111\/sms.14746","article-title":"Fitness, Gray Matter Volume, and Executive Function in Cognitively Normal Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Findings From the AGUEDA Trial","volume":"34","author":"Sclafani","year":"2024","journal-title":"Scand. J. Med. Sci. Sports"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pscychresns.2012.06.006","article-title":"Gray matter volume in major depressive disorder: A meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies","volume":"211","author":"Lai","year":"2013","journal-title":"Psychiatry Res."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2259","DOI":"10.1249\/MSS.0000000000001683","article-title":"Handgrip Strength, Function, and Mortality in Older Adults: A Time-varying Approach","volume":"50","author":"McGrath","year":"2018","journal-title":"Med. Sci. Sports Exerc."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"292","DOI":"10.1111\/psyg.12323","article-title":"Effects of a 10-week functional training programme on pain, mood state, depression, and sleep in healthy older adults","volume":"18","year":"2018","journal-title":"Psychogeriatr. Off. J. Jpn. Psychogeriatr. Soc."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"525","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neubiorev.2019.09.040","article-title":"Physical activity and depression: Towards understanding the antidepressant mechanisms of physical activity","volume":"107","author":"Kandola","year":"2019","journal-title":"Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lee, S.H., Lee, H., and Yu, S. (2022). Effectiveness of Social Support for Community-Dwelling Elderly with Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Healthcare, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare10091598"},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101266","DOI":"10.1016\/j.arr.2021.101266","article-title":"The association of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary behavior with skeletal muscle strength and muscle power in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"67","author":"Ramsey","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ageing Res. Rev."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1919","DOI":"10.1007\/s00520-019-05002-w","article-title":"Preferences for mHealth physical activity interventions during chemotherapy for breast cancer: A qualitative evaluation","volume":"28","author":"Nielsen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Support. Care Cancer"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1682","DOI":"10.1002\/jcsm.13248","article-title":"Hand Grip Strength in Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Prospective Study","volume":"14","author":"Hadzibegovic","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zhang, X.-M., Zhang, Z.-B., Chen, W., and Wu, X. (2022). The association between handgrip strength and depression in cancer survivors: A cross-sectional study. BMC Geriatr., 22.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-022-02795-0"}],"container-title":["Cancers"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6694\/17\/5\/754\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T16:40:45Z","timestamp":1760028045000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6694\/17\/5\/754"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,23]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"5","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3]]}},"alternative-id":["cancers17050754"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/cancers17050754","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6694"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6694","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,2,23]]}}}