Depressive Symptoms in Older People of San Vicente - Cape Verde (Africa)

Abstract

Depressive symptomatology has been identified as one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the elderly, and there is very little investigation in Cape Verde about this topic. The aim of this study was to assess depressive symptoms in the elderly in São Vicente -Cape Verde, aged 65 years and over. It is a cross-sectional descriptive study with a convenience sample. The instruments used were the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Katz index and a socio-demographic questionnaire. A sample of 204 elderly individuals participated in the study. The results indicate that 45.6% of respondents had no depression, 38.7% mild depression, and 15.7% had severe depression. In this study it was also observed that there is a higher incidence of depressive symptoms in women than in men, and among the elderly who are institutionalized compared to the non-institutionalized. The results suggest that depressive symptoms in elderly of São Vicente-Cape Verde-is a problem that needs more comprehensive studies to be able to devise strategies of intervention of this type of symptoms that reduce the longevity and quality of life of older people.