scholarly journals Depression among the Geriatric Population is a Matter of Concern: A Community Based Study in a Rural Area of West Bengal

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 282-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Dasgupta ◽  
D Ray ◽  
S Roy ◽  
T Sarkar ◽  
A Ghosal ◽  
...  

Background   Depression is commonest psychiatric disorder in elderly; it is often misdiagnosed and undertreated. People with depression suffer from impairment of all major areas of functioning ranging from personal care to social capability, which in turn decreases individuals’ quality of life and increases dependency on others Elderly patients with depression are more prone in developing chronic diseases like ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension. This problem may be more severe in rural population. Objective of this study is to find out the magnitude of depression and its correlates among a rural geriatric population. Materials and Methods Population based cross sectional study was done in Singur, West Bengal with a sample size of 85 with the help of a pretested semi structured schedule and a geriatric depression scale (short form).  Results Majority 61.2(%) of the study population were in the age group of 60 to 69 years and most belonged to joint Hindu family. Cardiovascular disease (67.05%) especially hypertension followed by musculoskeletal problems (42.35%) were the two major health related conditions suffered by this population and they usually made avail of government health facilities during illness. About 58.8% of the population suffered from depression and this was associated with nuclear family AOR(95%CI)=8.625(1.697-43.831), with poor income AOR(95%CI)=7.628(1.862-31.847), financial dependence AOR(95%CI)=4.948 (1.044-23.554)and living without spouse AOR(95%CI)=7.422 (1.513-36.418) and also presence of disease OR =5.423 (1.348-21.81). Conclusion Alarmingly, the prevalence of depression was observed to be quite high in this rural population and so was prevalence of different morbidities. All these will hasten the isolation of this vulnerable population from general community and increase burden on younger generation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v3i4.9515 Keywords:

Author(s):  
Nirmala Nagarada Gadde ◽  
Bhagya Rekha Gogolla ◽  
Vineesh Allenki ◽  
Ravi Babu Damu

Background: The geriatric population is increasing with advancements in the health sector all over the world. At the same time, old age tackles physical, mental and social challenges. Mental health of the elderly is least concerned in developing countries, especially depression, which is easy to screen and our study aims to know its burden and associated risk factors.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2021 and November 2021 among the geriatric population of Mansoorabad, an urban area in Hyderabad, using the short form of geriatric depression scale (GDS) to assess their depression status. Study subjects who met our criteria were selected through simple random sampling. Data collected were entered and analyzed with MS excel software 2007 and Epi info 3.5.3.Results: In our study sample of 161, males were 61 (37.9%), females-100(62.1%). Most of the study subjects were in the age group 60-70 years (137, 85.1%), followed by the 70-80 years age group (24, 14.9%). Nearly 59.6% of subjects had no depression, 19.9% suffered from mild depression, 8.1%-moderately depressed, whereas 12.4%-severely depressed. The mean age of subjects was 65.6 (±5.9) years. Chi-square test was used to study the association of various factors with geriatric depression and age group, and socio-economic status showed a statistically significant association.Conclusions: This study points towards the sensitization of healthcare workers and other subsidiary health personnel at the grassroots level to detect geriatric depression in nascent stages. Many longitudinal follow-up studies are needed to address various aspects of depression. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg von Fingerhut ◽  
Katsuyoshi Mizukami ◽  
Dorothy Yam ◽  
Konstantin Makarov ◽  
Yuriy Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Depression and suicide rates are relatively high in the colder regions of Russia. Older individuals in these regions are especially susceptible to these issues and are understudied in this regard. This study aims to better understand the current depression prevalence, and the factors related to depression, among the older individuals in these colder regions of Russia by studying a population in Novosibirsk oblast. Methods A questionnaire survey was administered to 422 older individuals, assessing basic attributes and health status, and employing the following standardized scales: 8-item Short-Form Health Survey, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Participants were divided in two groups (GDS ≤ 6, GDS > 6) and compared, using Student’s t test, χ2 test, and logistic regression analysis. Results Young old (YO) adults showed significant correlation of depression with asthma (P = 0.005, OR = 6.40, 95%CI: 1.74–23.5), having a spouse (P = 0.016, OR = 1.99, 95%CI: 1.14–3.48), and daily communication with others (P < 0.001, OR = 0.336, 95%CI: 0.197–0.572). Among old old (OO) adults, significant correlation with depression was found for the variables work status (P = 0.047, OR = 0.115, 95%CI: 0.014–0.974), and weekly walking (P = 0.014, OR = 0.288, 95%CI: 0.106–0.778). Conclusions Twenty eight percent of the participants have depression. In YO adults, frequent communication and social ties with individuals outside of the family can mitigate depression prevalence. As for OO adults, the factors that have the highest impact on mitigating depression are related to daily activity, including both frequent walking and working or self-employment. Asthma patients are one of the more sensitive groups towards depression, but further research on this topic is needed.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kedar Manandhar ◽  
Ajay Risal ◽  
Oshin Shrestha ◽  
Nirmala Manandhar ◽  
Dipak Kunwar ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The increasing elderly population worldwide is likely to increase mental health problems such as geriatric depression, which has mostly been studied in high-income countries. Similar studies are scarce in low-and-middle-income-countries like Nepal. Methods A cross-sectional, population-based, door-to-door survey was conducted in randomly selected rural and urban population clusters of the Kavre district, Nepal. Trained nurses (field interviewers) administered structured questionnaires that included a validated Nepali version of the Geriatric Depression Scale short form (GDS-15) for identifying geriatric depression among elderly (≥60 years) participants (N=460). Those scoring ≥6 on GDS-15 were considered depressed. Logistic regression analysis explored the associations of geriatric depression with regard to socio-demographic information, life style, family support and physical well-being variables. Results Of the total 460 selected elderly participants, 439 took part in the study. More than half of them were females (54.2%). The mean age was 70.9 (± 8.6) years. Approximately half (50.6%) were rural inhabitants, the majority (86.1%) were illiterate, and about three-fifths (60.1%) were living with their spouses. The gender-and-age adjusted prevalence of geriatric depression was 53.1%. Geriatric depression was significantly associated with rural habitation (AOR 1.6), illiteracy (AOR 2.1), limited time provided by families (AOR 1.8), and exposure to verbal and/or physical abuse (AOR 1.7). Conclusion Geriatric depression is highly prevalent in the Kavre, Nepal. The findings call for urgent prioritization of delivery of elderly mental health care services in the country. [Word count 230]


Author(s):  
Nandini Chatterjee ◽  
Supratick Chakraborty ◽  
Mainak Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Sinjon Ghosh ◽  
Bikramjit Barkandaj ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taishi Tsuji ◽  
Satoru Kanamori ◽  
Ryota Watanabe ◽  
Meiko Yokoyama ◽  
Yasuhiro Miyaguni ◽  
...  

AbstractThe current study investigated the relationship between the frequency of watching sports and depressive symptoms among older adults. This study used cross-sectional data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, a nationwide mail survey of 21,317 older adults. Depressive symptoms were defined as a Geriatric Depression Scale score of ≥ 5. Participants were queried regarding the average frequency at which they watched sports on-site and via TV/Internet over the past year. Among the 21,317 participants, 4559 (21.4%) had depressive symptoms, while 4808 (22.6%) and 16,576 (77.8%) watched sports on-site and via TV/Internet at least once a year, respectively. Older adults who watched sports on-site a few times/year (prevalence ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.65–0.74) or 1–3 times/month (0.66, 0.53–0.82) were less likely to have depressive symptoms compared to non-spectators after adjusting for frequency of playing sports, exercise activities, and other potential confounders. Meanwhile, a dose–response relationship was confirmed for watching via TV/Internet (prevalence ratio of 0.86, 0.79, and 0.71 for a few times/year, 1–3 times/month, and ≥ 1 time/week, respectively). This study suggested that watching sports on-site or via TV/Internet, regardless of whether they regularly engage in sports, may reduce the risk of depressive symptoms among older adults.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Aydoğan ◽  
A Ünsal ◽  
D Arslantaş

Abstract Background Malnutrition is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Malnutrition increases the number of hospitalizations and prolongs the length of hospitalization by disrupting organ functions, increasing the number and severity of infections and delaying wound healing. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of suspected malnutrition in the elderly, to examine some related variables and to evaluate the depression. Methods The study is a cross-sectional study conducted between March-April 2019 in individuals aged 60 years and older living in Sivrihisar. Sample size was calculated as 579. Cluster sampling method used. Data was collected by door to door in 4 neighborhoods determined by randomly. Mini Nutritional Assessment Test-Short Form (for malnutrition), Katz Daily Living Activities Scale (for dependency) and Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (for depression) were used. Chi-square test, Mann Whitney U test and logistic regression analysis were used for the analyzes. Results The study group consisted of 220 (38%) women and 359 (62%) men. The mean age was 68.9±6.4 (ranged 60-93). Frequency of suspected malnutrition was 25% (n = 145). Being 80 years of age or older (OR:3.24, CI:1.53-6.85), having a primary and lower education level (OR:2.54, CI:1.32-4.90), history of chronic illness (OR:2.34, CI:1.33-4.03), using dentures (OR:1.62, CI:1.03-2.55) and suspected depression (OR:4.97, CI:3.17-7.78) are important risk factors for malnutrition. Those with suspicion of malnutrition had lower scores on DLA (z = 8.982;p=0.001). Conclusions Malnutrition was found to be an important health problem for the elderly. The frequency of suspected malnutrition is higher in individuals with depression. Those with suspected malnutrition have higher level of dependency. In order to reduce the frequency of malnutrition, it may be beneficial to increase the awareness of the elderly and caregivers and to give importance to the elderly nutrition of primary health care providers. Key messages Depression is an important risk factor for malnutrition. Malnutrition increases the dependence of the individual on daily activities.


2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
César L. Reichert ◽  
César L. Diogo ◽  
José L. Vieira ◽  
Roberta R. Dalacorte

OBJECTIVE: To determine the existence of a relationship between physical activity and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling elders. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional, population-based study, which included 379 community-dwelling elders from Novo Hamburgo, state of RS, Brazil. The level of physical activity was estimated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and depressive symptoms were diagnosed according to the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale. The association between the level of physical activity and depressive symptoms was analyzed by logistic regression. RESULTS: A tendency towards a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms was observed in individuals with higher levels of physical activity, both in the sample as a whole as well as among men, but not among women (p for linear trend 0.04, 0.03 and 0.36, respectively). The odds ratio of the presence of depressive symptoms in the very active group, as compared against that of the insufficiently active group was 0.32 (95% CI: 0.12-0.86) for men and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.39-1.46) for women. CONCLUSION: In this population of aged individuals, more intense physical activity is related to a lower prevalence of depressive symptoms. As shown by gender stratification, physical activity is inversely related to depressive symptoms in men, albeit not in women.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Payam Amini ◽  
Reza Omani-Samani ◽  
Mahdi Sepidarkish ◽  
Amir Almasi-Hashiani ◽  
Mostafa Hosseini ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF) is a widely used instrument that measures breastfeeding self-efficacy. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Persian version of BSES-SF in Iranian mothers. Results The English version of BSES-SF was translated into Persian using the standard forward–backward translation procedure. No changes (i.e., neither delete nor rephrase the items) were made to the BSES-SF items. The mean BSES-SF total score was 50.80 ± 8.91. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for internal consistency for the BSES-SF was 0.910. The confirmatory factor analysis results provided evidence for unidimensionality of the scale (χ2/df = 4.42; CFI = 0.96; NFI = 0.95; IFI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.095 and SRMR = 0.054). The divergent validity of the BSES-SF was proved via a significant negative correlation with scores of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (r = − 0.273, P < 0.001). In sum, the Persian version of the BSES-SF is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring breastfeeding self-efficacy in Iranian mothers. Trial registration number This was a cross-sectional study (not clinical trial).


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (08) ◽  
pp. 1151-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Hyun Lee ◽  
Do Hoon Kim ◽  
Yoo Sun Moon

ABSTRACTObjective:Despite the possibility that cognitive deficits associated with depression may have different patterns depending on the level of neurocognitive impairment, there remains no clear evidence of this. This study aimed to investigate the differential association between depression and cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD).Methods:A cross-sectional analysis was performed of data from 1,724 patients with MCI and 1,247 patients with AD from the Clinical Research Center for Dementia in Korea. Depression was assessed using the Korean form of the Geriatric Depression Scale, and cognition was measured using the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery, which includes five domains (attention, language and related function, visuospatial function, memory, and frontal/executive function).Results:Significant differences were found between the two groups (non-depressed vs. depressed) in visuospatial, memory, and executive function domains in the MCI group, as well as in the attention domain in the AD group. The association between depressive symptoms and cognitive function was significantly greater in patients with MCI than in those with AD. These associations were more pronounced in memory and executive function.Conclusion:Our findings suggest that the association between depression and decreased cognitive function is more pronounced in MCI than AD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-300
Author(s):  
Zeinab Alizadeh ◽  
Hamidreza Roohafza ◽  
Awat Feizi ◽  
Nizal Sarrafzadegan

Purpose This study aimed to examine the association of shift work with depression and anxiety in a large sample of formal and contractual employees of a mill steel company, Isfahan, Iran. Design/methodology/approach This cross-sectional study was performed in 2014 among 3,060 formal and contractual employees of a mill steel company Isfahan, Iran, randomly selected from 16,000 people. Data gathering was done by some validated Iranian version of self-administered questionnaires including, International Physical Activity – Short Form, Effort–Reward Imbalance, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Logistic regression was used as the main statistical method. Findings The results showed individuals in the rotating shift compared with day shift had a higher risk of depression (OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.12–1.84). Whereas after adjustment for various confounders, this relationship was not significant (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 0.81–1.76). Anxiety was not associated with shift work, both in crude and adjusted models (OR: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.81–1.44) and (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.67–1.19), respectively. Research limitations/implications Owing to the cross-sectional design of this study, cause–effect relationships could not be inferred from our findings. All the data used in the present analysis were collected by self-administered questionnaires. Practical implications Although our findings did not show significant association between shift work and mental health, further studies are suggested for obtaining informative data worldwide in this regard among workforce particularly among industrial employees. Originality/value Few studies have addressed the effects of shift work on mental health among industrial employees worldwide, and there is no study in developing countries.


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