Cognitive Impairment, Depression, and Cooccurrence of Both among the Elderly in Panama: Differential Associations with Multimorbidity and Functional Limitations

Abstract

Cognitive impairment and depression are common mental health problems among the elderly, although few studies have examined their cooccurrence in older adults in Latin America. The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive impairment, depression, and cooccurrence of the two conditions and associated factors in a sample of older adults in Panama. This study included 304 community-dwelling elderly (≥65 years) individuals. Participants underwent a clinical interview and assessments of cognitive function by the Minimental State Examination and depressive symptoms by the Geriatric Depression Scale. Limitations in basic (BADL) and instrumental (IADL) activities in daily living and the presence of chronic illnesses were recorded. Multinomial regression analysis revealed that cooccurrence of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms was explained by increasing age (OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.20, 8.30), low education (OR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.33, 8.38), having four or more chronic conditions (OR: 11.5, 95% CI: 2.84, 46.63), and BADL limitations (OR: 5.0, 95% CI: 1.26, 19.68). Less education and limitations in BADL and IADL increased the odds of cognitive impairment alone, while less education and three or more chronic conditions increased the odds of depression alone. These findings underscore the relevance of assessing cognitive impairment in the elderly as part of a long-term approach to managing depression and vice versa.

A more comprehensive investigation of disability and associated factors among older adults receiving home-based care in rural Dongguan, China

“…The data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2013 [ 24 ] found that the overall prevalence of disability among adults aged 80 years or more was 21.9%. The prevalence of disability in our study is higher than other recent studies [ 25 , 26 ], which may result from the following considerations. Firstly, previous studies assessed disability according to ADL and IADL [ 9 , 27 ], without considering the impact of impairment of sensory perception, social participation and mental status on compromising independent living status.…”

Empty-nest-related psychological distress is associated with progression of brain white matter lesions and cognitive impairment in the elderly

“…There is a mutually promoting function between loneliness and depressive symptoms10. They exhibit deleterious effects on mental wellbeing as well as on physical health.…”

Functional Disability Among Patients With Depressive Disorder Associated With Cognitive Impairment at King Abdulaziz Hospital- Makkah.

“…Females were more prone to experience severe depression and suffering no depression, while males suffered more mild depression than females, the same percent of both genders experienced moderate depression, (P-value=0.008). No association between depression and gender was shown in Indian study (Villarreal, et al 2015). Education was a factor that affected the degrees of depression (P-value=0.001), the participants with a university and above education experienced severe depression more than those of less education, while more participants with education less than university suffered no depression.…”