DEMENTIA AND DEPRESSION: A STUDY OF PREVALENCE IN AN ELDERLY RESIDENTIAL SETTING.
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1996
Number of pages: 134
Subjects: Education, Health.; Health Sciences, Nursing.; Health Sciences, Mental Health.; Gerontology.
Description: Depression and dementia are the most frequent psychiatric disorders in the elderly. A review of the literature reveals a lack of sufficient detection of the dementia syndrome of depression by primary care providers. Depressive symptoms are masked by cognitive impairment and also by somatic complaints. These complaints frequently lead to expensive diagnostic tests and unnecessary pharmaceutical intervention. Cognitive impairment in the elderly is often the first symptom of depression, that when identified and treated with appropriate intervention, is a reversible disorder. Untreated, it becomes a permanent irreversible dementia.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the prevalence of depressive symptoms in a community residential setting was higher than reported in studies involving the aged. The subjects were 75 years of age and older living in an independent community in Fairfield County, CT. A non-randomized cross sectional design of 111 subjects participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Data were collected using the Mini Mental Status Exam, the Geriatric Depression Scale (short form) and a sociodemographic data questionnaire.

The results of this study found that the prevalence of depression was 12.6% and the prevalence of cognitive impairment was 7.2%. There was a significant correlation (r = $-$.3226, p $<$.001) between depression and cognitive impairment. When demographic variables were examined with depression, there was a significant correlation between depression and number of somatic complaints (r =.263, p $<$.01), age, total number of losses and use of benzodiazepines. For cognitive functioning, the only significant variables having an independent effect on cognitive functioning were depression and a composite score of social involvement.

This study demonstrated that the prevalence of depressive symptoms is higher than previously reported. Also depressive symptoms are significantly correlated to cognitive functioning, somatic complaints, age, losses, the diagnosis of cancer and benzodiazepine use. There was no significant correlation between depression and education, marital status, alcohol use, previous history of depression or number of chronic illnesses. The study found that regardless of depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning was significantly correlated with social participation.

There are implications for health education as it relates to disease prevention. The findings emphasize a need for a thorough epidemiological diagnosis noting mental health problems of the elderly. The study recommends future research and concludes with an examination of risk factors for depression with suggestions for primary providers to enhance case finding in the elderly.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-02, Section: A, page: 0595.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1996.

School code: 0055.