“Getting better” or “getting worse”: What practitioners can learn from older adults with high depressive symptoms

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-15
Author(s):  
Kenneth E. Mobily, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Depressive Symptom ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Symptom Scores

The purpose of this study was to identify concrete markers of older adults scoring high in depressive symptoms. Through identification of depressive symptom covariates, practitioners may more accurately chart a course of interventions to assist the person in coping with depressive symptomatology. Subjects were members of an earlier longitudinal study. The present study was restricted to 133 subjects 60 and older who had high depressive symptom scores at baseline or follow-up or both. The findings suggest that somatic maladies were the distinguishing variables separating subjects who were able to reduce their depressive symptoms compared to those who stagnated at a high depressive symptom scores over 3 years. The present findings suggest a direct course of action_address the somatic concomitants of depression and the affect is likely to improve.

scholarly journals Impact of measurement frequency on self-reported depressive symptoms: An experimental study in a clinical setting

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Geschwind ◽  
Martijn van Teffelen ◽  
Elin Hammarberg ◽  
Arnoud Arntz ◽  
M.J.H. Huibers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Depressive Symptom ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Measurement Frequency ◽  
Symptom Scores

Background: Previous research suggests a relationship between measurement frequency of self-reported depressive symptoms and change in depressive symptom scores for the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II). The goal of the current study was to investigate the differential effects of weekly and monthly completion of the BDI-II and Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology self-report (QIDS-SR). Methods: Seventy individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) waiting for treatment were randomly assigned to either completing BDI-II weekly, BDI-II monthly, QIDS-SR weekly, or QIDS-SR monthly for a duration of nine weeks. After nine weeks participants also completed the Zung depression scale once. Mixed multilevel regression modelling and Bayesian Statistical Analysis were used to test the relationship between the measurement frequency and depression scores, and to compare scores of the repeatedly completed instruments with the instrument completed only in week nine.Results: Measurement frequency was not related to BDI-II, QIDS-SR or Zung scores. However, depression scores declined in the weekly and monthly QIDS-SR (but not BDI-II) conditions, while Bayesian analyses indicated moderate support for equal depression scores on the Zung SDS.Limitations: Lack of a clinician-rated depression scale at week nine in addition to the self-report measure. Conclusion: In contrast to previous studies in non-clinical samples, our findings suggest that measurement frequency does not have an impact on scores of the BDI-II. Implications for clinical studies monitoring depressive symptom scores with self-report scales are discussed. Keywords: major depressive disorder; retest effects; measurement error; measurement frequency; Beck Depression Inventory; Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology

Gender Differences in Depressive Symptoms: Statistical Considerations

1988 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline M. Golding
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Depressive Symptom ◽  
Gender Difference ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Community Survey ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Community Studies ◽  
Job Status ◽  
Symptom Scores

Large community studies of depressive symptomatology provide mixed evidence concerning gender differences. The present paper investigates the effect of the high skewness typically present in distributions of depressive symptom scores on findings of a gender difference in depression. Because of this skewness, a few extreme scores among women (or in any subgroup) can produce a significant between-groups difference in untransformed scores even when the two groups' distributions are otherwise similar. Data from a community survey ( n = 1316) are consistent with this hypothesis. The data also suggest that gender increases depression scores indirectly, rather than directly, for the few women scoring in the extreme upper tail of the distribution. It is concluded that the gender difference in depressive symptoms lacks robustness, and that when it does occur, the effect of gender on depression can be understood as indirect, i.e., as mediated by gender differences in rate of employment, job status, education, and income.

scholarly journals Effects of dietary interventions on depressive symptom profiles: results from the MooDFOOD depression prevention study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Sarah R. Vreijling ◽  
Brenda W. J. H. Penninx ◽  
Mariska Bot ◽  
Ed Watkins ◽  
Matthew Owens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Depressive Symptom ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Prevention Study ◽  
Dietary Interventions ◽  
Depression Prevention ◽  
Symptom Profiles ◽  
Symptom Profile ◽  
Nutrient Supplements

Abstract Background Dietary interventions did not prevent depression onset nor reduced depressive symptoms in a large multi-center randomized controlled depression prevention study (MooDFOOD) involving overweight adults with subsyndromal depressive symptoms. We conducted follow-up analyses to investigate whether dietary interventions differ in their effects on depressive symptom profiles (mood/cognition; somatic; atypical, energy-related). Methods Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up data from MooDFOOD were used (n = 933). Participants received (1) placebo supplements, (2) food-related behavioral activation (F-BA) therapy with placebo supplements, (3) multi-nutrient supplements (omega-3 fatty acids and a multi-vitamin), or (4) F-BA therapy with multi-nutrient supplements. Depressive symptom profiles were based on the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology. Results F-BA therapy was significantly associated with decreased severity of the somatic (B = −0.03, p = 0.014, d = −0.10) and energy-related (B = −0.08, p = 0.001, d = −0.13), but not with the mood/cognition symptom profile, whereas multi-nutrient supplementation was significantly associated with increased severity of the mood/cognition (B = 0.05, p = 0.022, d = 0.09) and the energy-related (B = 0.07, p = 0.002, d = 0.12) but not with the somatic symptom profile. Conclusions Differentiating depressive symptom profiles indicated that food-related behavioral interventions are most beneficial to alleviate somatic symptoms and symptoms of the atypical, energy-related profile linked to an immuno-metabolic form of depression, although effect sizes were small. Multi-nutrient supplements are not indicated to reduce depressive symptom profiles. These findings show that attention to clinical heterogeneity in depression is of importance when studying dietary interventions.

scholarly journals Haemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose and future risk of elevated depressive symptoms over 2 years of follow-up in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1889-1896 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hamer ◽  
G. D. Batty ◽  
M. Kivimaki
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Glucose Metabolism ◽  
Fasting Glucose ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
English Longitudinal Study ◽  
Hba1c Levels

BackgroundThe cross-sectional association between impaired glucose/diabetes and depression is inconsistent. We examined the longitudinal associations between diabetes, indicators of glucose metabolism and depressive symptoms over 2 years of follow-up.MethodParticipants were 4338 men and women from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a prospective study of community-dwelling older adults [aged 62.9 (s.d.=9.0) years, 45.2% men]. Depressive symptoms were assessed at baseline and after 2 years of follow-up using the eight-item Centre of Epidemiological Studies – Depression (CES-D) scale. Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, fasting glucose and other biological and behavioural risk factors were also assessed at baseline.ResultsApproximately 11.5% of the sample were categorized with elevated depressive symptoms at follow-up (a score ⩾4 on the CES-D). There was an association between HbA1c and depressive symptoms at follow-up [per unit increase, odds ratio (OR) 1.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03–1.33] after adjustment for age and baseline CES-D. Cross-sectionally, the probability of depressive symptoms increased with increasing HbA1c levels until the value of 8.0% after which there was a plateau [p(curve)=0.03]. Compared with those with normal fasting glucose, participants with diabetes (confirmed through self-report or elevated fasting blood glucose) at baseline had an elevated risk of depressive symptoms at follow-up (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.01–2.30) after adjusting for depressive symptoms at baseline, behavioural and sociodemographic variables, adiposity and inflammation.ConclusionsThese data suggest that poor glucose metabolism and diabetes are risk factors for future depression in older adults. There was no evidence of a U-shaped association.

Comorbid Mild Cognitive Impairment and Depressive Symptoms Predict Future Dementia in Community Older Adults: A 24-Month Follow-Up Longitudinal Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 1473-1482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyuma Makizako ◽  
Hiroyuki Shimada ◽  
Takehiko Doi ◽  
Kota Tsutsumimoto ◽  
Ryo Hotta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Longitudinal Study

scholarly journals Social isolation, rather than loneliness, is associated with cognitive decline in older adults: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Bin Yu ◽  
Andrew Steptoe ◽  
Yongjie Chen ◽  
Xiaohua Jia
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Mental Status ◽  
Chinese Older Adults ◽  
Confounding Variables

Abstract Background Social isolation and loneliness have each been associated with cognitive decline, but most previous research is limited to Western populations. This study examined the relationships of social isolation and loneliness on cognitive function among Chinese older adults. Methods This study used two waves of data (2011 and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and analyses were restricted to those respondents aged 50 and older. Social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function were measured at baseline. Follow-up measures on cognitive function were obtained for 7761 participants (mean age = 60.97, s.d. = 7.31; male, 50.8%). Lagged dependent variable models adjusted for confounding factors were used to evaluate the association between baseline isolation, loneliness, and cognitive function at follow-up. Results Loneliness was significantly associated with the cognitive decline at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.03, p < 0.01; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) in the partially adjusted models. These associations became insignificant after additional confounding variables (chronic diseases, health behaviors, disabilities, and depressive symptoms) were taken into account (all p > 0.05). By contrast, social isolation was significantly associated with decreases in all cognitive function measures at follow-up (episodic memory: β = −0.05, p < 0.001; mental status: β = −0.03, p < 0.01) even after controlling for loneliness and all confounding variables. Conclusions Social isolation is associated with cognitive decline in Chinese older adults, and the relationships are independent of loneliness. These findings expand our knowledge about the links between social relationships and the cognitive function in non-Western populations.

scholarly journals Multimorbidity patterns and memory trajectories in older adults: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Bendayan ◽  
Yajing Zhu ◽  
A D Federman ◽  
R J B Dobson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Delayed Recall ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
English Longitudinal Study ◽  
Psychiatric Problems

Abstract Background We aimed to examine the multimorbidity patterns within a representative sample of UK older adults and their association with concurrent and subsequent memory. Methods Our sample consisted of 11,449 respondents (mean age at baseline was 65.02) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). We used fourteen health conditions and immediate and delayed recall scores (IMRC and DLRC) over 7 waves (14 years of follow up). Latent class analyses were performed to identify the multimorbidity patterns and linear mixed models were estimated to explore their association with their memory trajectories. Models were adjusted by socio-demographics, BMI and health behaviors. Results Results showed 8 classes: Class 1:Heart Disease/Stroke (26%), Class 2:Asthma/Lung Disease (16%), Class 3:Arthritis/Hypertension (13%), Class 4:Depression/Arthritis (12%), Class 5:Hypertension/Cataracts/Diabetes (10%), Class 6:Psychiatric Problems/Depression (10%), Class 7:Cancer (7%) and Class 8:Arthritis/Cataracts (6%). At baseline, Class 4 was found to have lower IMRC and DLRC scores and Class 5 in DLRC, compared to the no multimorbidity group (n=6380, 55.72% of total cohort). For both tasks, in unadjusted models, we found an accelerated decline in Classes 1, 3 and 8; and, for DLRC, also in Classes 2 and 5. However, it was fully attenuated after adjustments. Conclusions These findings suggest that individuals with certain combinations of health conditions are more likely to have lower levels of memory compared those with no multimorbidity and their memory scores tend to differ between combinations. Socio-demographics and health behaviours have a key role to understand who is more likely to be at risk of an accelerated decline.

Assessment of incident frailty hazard associated with depressive symptoms in a Taiwanese longitudinal study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Che-Chia Chang ◽  
Chi-Shin Wu ◽  
Han-Yun Tseng ◽  
Chun-Yi Lee ◽  
I-Chien Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Asian Population ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Frailty Status ◽  
Health Need ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Objectives: To estimate the risks of depressive symptoms for developing frailty, accounting for baseline robust or pre-frailty status. Design: An incident cohort study design. Setting: Community dwellers aged 55 years and above from urban and rural areas in seven regions in Taiwan. Participants: A total of 2,717 participants from the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan (HALST) were included. Subjects with frailty at baseline were excluded. The average follow-up period was 5.9 years. Measurements: Depressive symptoms were measured by the 20-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale. Frailty was assessed using the Fried frailty measurement. Participants were stratified by baseline robust or pre-frailty status to reduce the confounding effects of the shared criteria between depressive symptoms and frailty. Overall and stratified survival analyses were conducted to assess risks of developing frailty as a result of baseline depressive symptoms. Results: One hundred individuals (3.7%) had depressive symptoms at baseline. Twenty-seven individuals (27.0%) with depressive symptoms developed frailty, whereas only 305 out of the 2,617 participants (11.7%) without depressive symptoms developed frailty during the follow-up period. After adjusting for covariates, depressive symptoms were associated with a 2.6-fold (95% CI 1.6, 4.2) increased hazard of incident frailty. The patterns of increased hazard were also observed when further stratified by baseline robust or pre-frailty status. Conclusions: Depressive symptoms increased the risk of developing frailty among the older Asian population. The impact of late-life depressive symptoms on physical health was notable. These findings also replicated results from Western populations. Future policies on geriatric public health need to focus more on treatment and intervention against geriatric depressive symptoms to prevent incident frailty among older population.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document