Prevalence of depressive symptoms and its associated factors among healthy community‐dwelling older adults living in Australia and the United States

Abstract

Objective This study was conducted to estimate prevalence rates and factors associated with depressive symptoms indexed by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies‐Depression (CES‐D‐10) score in a large sample of community‐dwelling healthy older adults from Australia and the United States. Convergent and divergent validity of the CES‐D‐10 were also examined. Methods A total of 19 114 individuals aged greater than or equal to 65 years old were enrolled from a primary prevention clinical trial. Depressive symptoms were classified using the CES‐D‐10 score greater than or equal to 8 and greater than or equal to 10. Gender‐specific prevalence for subgroups according to sociodemographic characteristics were reported, and factors associated with depressive symptoms were estimated. Results The overall prevalence rates of depressive symptoms were 9.8%, 95% CI, 8.5‐11.2 and 5.0%, 95% CI, 4.0‐6.0, according to the CES‐D‐10 score greater than or equal to 8 and greater than or equal to 10, respectively. Depressive symptoms were more common in women, individuals with less than 12 years of education, those living alone or in a residential care, ethnic minorities, current smokers, and former alcohol users. Convergent and divergent validities of the CES‐D‐10 were confirmed by observing strong negative association with the SF‐12 mental health component and a modest negative association with SF‐12 physical component, respectively. Conclusions This study reports the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Australian and US community‐dwelling healthy older populations. These findings emphasize the high burden of the condition and factors associated with depressive symptoms, to better inform clinicians and help with early detection and treatment of depression in this age group.

Seven-Year Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms and Their Predictors Among Older Americans

“…Major depression occurs in 2% of adults aged 60 years or older (Sjöberg et al, 2017), and despite being less common in late-life, has a more long-term course than in younger adults (Haigh, Bogucki, Sigmon, & Blazer, 2018). In addition, subclinical levels of depressive symptoms affect 10% to 15% of community-dwelling older adults (Laborde-Lahoz et al, 2015; Mohebbi et al, 2019) and increase substantially among older adults in health care and long-term care settings (Seitz, Purandare, & Conn, 2010). Subclinical depressive symptoms, even in the absence of major depression, are associated with functional impairments comparable to or worse than those with long-term physical conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes (Wells & Burnam, 1990).…”

Depressive Symptoms among Economically Disadvantaged African American Older Adults in South Los Angeles

“…Marriage has been associated with lower depressive symptoms both broadly and within AA samples [6,41]. While living alone has been positively associated with depressive symptoms in older adults in prior research [5,37,38], less research has been conducted on how this living arrangement predicts depressive symptoms in AA populations specifically. In addition, older AA adults believe that they are not susceptible to mental health issues, such as depressive symptoms, even after they have been diagnosed [81].…”

“…Literature has demonstrated that living alone is associated with depressive symptoms, especially in older adults [5,37,38], often due to a lack of sense of belonging and social isolation [39,40]. Marriage, on the other hand, has typically been associated with lower depression scores [6,41].…”

Mental and Physical Health Correlates of Financial Difficulties Among African-American Older Adults in Low-Income Areas of Los Angeles

“…Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates an upward trend in living alone, especially among older adults, with 36.1% of women and 18.9% of men living alone over the age of 65 (34). While there appears to be much research indicating the link between living alone and psychological distress (43)(44)(45), our review of the literature indicates a gap in research on living alone and financial difficulties in the U.S., especially for older adults or racial/ethnic minorities (46,47). Those who live alone may have sufficient income to support themselves, negating the need to live with others, or conversely those who live with others may be able to afford a higher standard of living than those living alone through combined income and resources.…”