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Prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts among elderly persons in rural Bangladesh

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 August 2015

Åke Wahlin ,
Katie Palmer ,
Ola Sternäng ,
Jena D. Hamadani  and
Zarina Nahar Kabir
Åke Wahlin*
Affiliation:
Aging Research Center, NVS, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Institute of Gerontology, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden
Katie Palmer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
Ola Sternäng
Affiliation:
Institute of Gerontology, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden Stockholm Brain Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
Jena D. Hamadani
Affiliation:
International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
Zarina Nahar Kabir
Affiliation:
Division of Nursing, NVS, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Åke Wahlin, Institute of Gerontology, School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, S-551 11 Jönköping, Sweden. Phone: +46-36-101322; Fax: +46-36-101180. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

Background:

Depression, if broadly defined, is the commonest late-life mental disorder. We examined the distribution of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts, across age, sex, literacy, and marital status, among elderly individuals residing in rural Bangladesh and participating in a population-based study on health and aging.

Methods:

Prevalence figures of depressive symptoms were assessed with SRQ20 (n = 625), and possible social network and economic associations were examined. Morbidity accounts of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts were examined for a subsample that also underwent complete medical examination (n = 471).

Results:

We selected for analyses the items that corresponded to DSM-IV criteria and constructed a dichotomous variable. The prevalence was 45%, and most pronounced among the oldest women (70%). The overall prevalence of suicidal thoughts was 23%. Being a woman, illiterate or single were all risk factors for depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. These associations remained unaccounted for by the social network and economic variables. Co-residing with a child and having a high quality of contact were protective of both depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. The main findings were replicated in the subsample, where it was found that morbidities were also associated with the outcomes, independently of the four main predictors.

Conclusions:

Prevalence figures for depressive symptoms among elderly in rural Bangladesh are high. Demographic, social network, and morbidity factors are independently associated with both depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. This is the first study to report prevalence figures for depressive symptoms in this population.

Keywords

depressive symptomsSRQ20old ageBangladeshpopulation studysuicidal thoughts
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 27 , Issue 12 , December 2015 , pp. 1999 - 2008
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2015 

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