Objective: To examine the prevalence of depression among elderly and find the risk factors of depression.
Methodology: Out of 2.9 million elderly population of central Punjab, 6% were taken for this cross sectional study. Sample consisted of 624 elderly men and women using Multistage sampling method. Interview schedule and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) were used to collect data. Depression was measured by Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and Logistic regression analysis was applied to determine factors associated with depression.
Results: Depression was found in 22.3% elderly. More depression was noted among elderly females than males, while no variation was estimated between urban and rural community. Logistic regression analysis found that different independent factors, including age, economic dependency, health status and family behavior were associated with depression.
Conclusions: This significant prevalence of depression among elderly indicates an alarming increase of depression. Therefore, efforts should be made to gauge this burden of depression at community level and made comprehensive plan of action to address the geriatric mental health issues.
Key words: Elderly, depression, economic dependency.
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