Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T18:47:09.968Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Age- and gender-specific prevalence and risk factors for depressive symptoms in the elderly: a population-based study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 May 2011

H. Glaesmer ,
S. Riedel-Heller ,
E. Braehler ,
L. Spangenberg  and
M. Luppa
H. Glaesmer
Affiliation:
University of Leipzig, Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Leipzig, Germany
S. Riedel-Heller
Affiliation:
University of Leipzig, Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, Leipzig, Germany
E. Braehler
Affiliation:
University of Leipzig, Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Leipzig, Germany
L. Spangenberg
Affiliation:
University of Leipzig, Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Leipzig, Germany
M. Luppa*
Affiliation:
University of Leipzig, Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, Public Health Research Unit, Leipzig, Germany
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Melanie Luppa, Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, Public Health Research Unit, University of Leipzig, Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße 55, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany, Phone: +49-341-9724534, Fax: +49-341-9715409, Email: [email protected].
Get access

Abstract

Objectives: Information on the prevalence and risk factors for depressive disorders in old age is of considerable interest for the assessment of future needs of the health care system. The aim of the study is to determine age- and gender-specific prevalence of major depression (MD), minor depression (MiD), and depressive symptoms, and to analyze risk factors associated with depressive symptoms.

Methods: A representative sample of the German population of 1,659 individuals aged 60 to 85 years were visited at home and answered self-rating questionnaires. Depressive symptoms and syndromes (MD, MiD) were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Factors associated with depressive symptoms were determined with linear regression models for the total sample and for men and women separately.

Results: Depressive symptoms were found in 28.7% of the participants, while 6.6% were affected by MD or MiD. The highest prevalence of MD and depressive symptoms was found in the oldest age groups. MiD showed an unsteady course across age groups in both sexes. In the total sample as well as in the male subsample, depressive symptoms were significantly associated with increasing age, lower household income, an increasing number of medical conditions, and lower social support. In women only, the number of medical conditions and lacking social support were significantly associated with depressive symptoms.

Conclusions: Depressive symptoms are common in old age and occur on a spectrum ranging from very mild forms to MD. The potential modifiability of a number of risk factors for depressive symptoms opens possibilities of secondary prevention such as treatment of chronic diseases as well as support in requirements of daily living.

Keywords

depressionmajor depressionminor depressionold ageprevalencerisk factor
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 23 , Issue 8 , October 2011 , pp. 1294 - 1300
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Angst, J., Gamma, A., Gastpar, M., Lepine, J. P., Mendlewicz, J. and Tylee, A. (2002). Gender differences in depression: epidemiological findings from the European DEPRES I and II studies. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 252, 201–209.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bayliss, E. A., Ellis, J. L. and Steiner, J. F. (2005). Subjective assessments of comorbidity correlate with quality of life health outcomes: initial validation of a comorbidity assessment instrument. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 3, 51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bayliss, E. A., Ellis, J. L. and Steiner, J. F. (2007). Barriers to self-management and quality-of-life outcomes in seniors with multimorbidities. Annals of Family Medicine, 5, 395–402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bayliss, E. A., Ellis, J. L. and Steiner, J. F. (2009). Seniors’ self-reported multimorbidity captured biopsychosocial factors not incorporated into two other data-based morbidity measures. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 62, 550–557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beekman, A. T., Copeland, J. R. and Prince, M. J. (1999). Review of community prevalence of depression in later life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 174, 307–311.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blazer, D. G. (2000). Psychiatry and the oldest old. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 1915–1924.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blazer, D. G. (2003). Depression in late life: review and commentary. Journal of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 58, 249–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cole, M. G. and Dendukuri, N. (2003). Risk factors for depression among elderly community subjects: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 1147–1156.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dalgard, O. S. et al. (2006). Negative life events, social support and gender difference in depression: a multinational community survey with data from the ODIN study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 41, 444–451.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Djernes, J. K. (2006). Prevalence and predictors of depression in populations of elderly: a review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 113, 372–387.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dowrick, C. et al. (1998). Outcomes of Depression International Network (ODIN). Background, methods and field trials. ODIN Group. British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, 359–363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fiske, A., Wetherell, J. L. and Gatz, M. (2009). Depression in older adults. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 5, 363–389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Koster, A. et al. (2006). Socioeconomic differences in incident depression in older adults: the role of psychosocial factors, physical health status, and behavioral factors. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 61, 619–627.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L. and Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16, 606–613.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B. and Lowe, B. (2010). The Patient Health Questionnaire Somatic, Anxiety, and Depressive Symptom Scales: a systematic review. General Hospital Psychiatry, 32, 345–359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lorant, V., Deliege, D., Eaton, W., Robert, A., Philippot, P. and Ansseau, M. (2003). Socioeconomic inequalities in depression: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Epidemiology, 157, 98–112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lowe, B., Kroenke, K., Herzog, W. and Grafe, K. (2004). Measuring depression outcome with a brief self-report instrument: sensitivity to change of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Journal of Affective Disorders, 81, 61–66.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Luppa, M. et al. (2010). Age- and gender-specific prevalence of depression in latest-life: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. Epublished ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2010.11.033.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minicuci, N., Maggi, S., Pavan, M., Enzi, G. and Crepaldi, G. (2002). Prevalence rate and correlates of depressive symptoms in older individuals: the Veneto Study. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 57A, M155–M161.Google Scholar
Murata, C., Kondo, K., Hirai, H., Ichida, Y. and Ojima, T. (2008). Association between depression and socio-economic status among community-dwelling elderly in Japan: the Aichi Gerontological Evaluation Study (AGES). Health Place, 14, 406–414.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phelan, E. et al. (2010). A study of the diagnostic accuracy of the PHQ-9 in primary care elderly. BMC Family Practice, 11, 63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Riedel-Heller, S. G., Busse, A. and Angermeyer, M. C. (2006). The state of mental health in old-age across the “old” European Union: a systematic review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 113, 388–401.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sonnenberg, C. M., Beekman, A. T., Deeg, D. J. and van Tilburg, W. (2000). Sex differences in late-life depression. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 101, 286–292.Google ScholarPubMed
Stordal, E., Bjartveit, K. M., Dahl, N. H., Kruger, O., Mykletun, A. and Dahl, A. A. (2001). Depression in relation to age and gender in the general population: the Nord-Trondelag Health Study (HUNT). Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 104, 210–216.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van de Velde, S., Bracke, P. and Levecque, K. (2010). Gender differences in depression in 23 European countries: cross-national variation in the gender gap in depression. Social Science and Medicine, 71, 305–313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van Grootheest, D. S., Beekman, A. T., Broese van Groenou, M. I. and Deeg, D. J. (1999). Sex differences in depression after widowhood: do men suffer more? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 34, 391–398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Veer-Tazelaar, P. J. et al. (2008). Depression in old age (75+): the PIKO study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 106, 295–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weyerer, S. et al. (2008). Prevalence and risk factors for depression in non-demented primary care attenders aged 75 years and older. Journal of Affective Disorders, 111, 153–163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wheaton, B. (1980). The sociogenesis of psychological disorder: an attributional theory. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 21, 100–124.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed