Prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly in the city of Tremembé, Brazil: preliminary findings of an epidemiological study

• Published in: Dementia & neuropsychologia Vol. 7; no. 3; pp. 252 - 257
• Main Authors: César, Karolina G, Takada, Leonel T, Brucki, Sonia M D, Nitrini, Ricardo, Nascimento, Luiz Fernando C, Oliveira, Maira O, Gomes, Camila M S, Almeida, Milena C S, Porto, Fábio H, Senaha, Mirna L H, Bahia, Valéria S, Yassuda, Mônica S, Silva, Thaís B L, Ianof, Jéssica N, Spíndola, Lívia, Schmidt, Magali T, Jorge, Mário S, Vale, Patrícia H F, Cecchini, Mário A, Cassimiro, Luciana, Soares, Roger T, Gonçalves, Márcia Rúbia, Martins, Ana Caroline S, Rocha, Elisângela, Daré, Patrícia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English; Portuguese
• Published: Brazil Associação de Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento 01.09.2013; Associação Neurologia Cognitiva e do Comportamento
• Subjects: CLINICAL NEUROLOGY; depression; elderly; GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY; HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; NURSING; Original; prevalence; PSYCHIATRY; PSYCHOLOGY; prevalence; elderly; depression; prevalência; idosos; depressão
• ISSN: 1980-5764; 1980-5764
• DOI: 10.1590/S1980-57642013DN70300004

Depression is a heterogeneous mental disease classified as a set of disorders, which manifest with a certain duration, frequency and intensity. The prevalence of depression in the elderly ranges from 0.5 to 16%. To establish, in an epidemiological study, the prevalence of significant depressive symptoms in the population aged 60 years or older. Results of a cross-sectional epidemiological study, involving home visits, being carried out in the city of Tremembé, Brazil, were reported. The sample was randomly selected by drawing 20% of the population over 60 years from each of the city's census sectors. In this single-phase study, the assessment included clinical history, physical and neurological examination, cognitive evaluation, the Cornell scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire for psychiatric symptoms. Scores greater than or equal to 8 on the Cornell scale were taken to indicate the presence of depressive symptoms. A total of 455 elders were assessed, and of these 169 (37.1%) had clinically significant depressive symptoms (CSDS). Depression prevalence was higher among women (p<0.001) and individuals with lower education (p=0.033). The Chi-square test for trends showed a significant relationship where lower socioeconomic status was associated with greater likelihood of depressive symptoms (p=0.005). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was high in this sample of the population-based study and was associated with female gender, low educational level and socioeconomic status. The assessment of the entire population sample must be completed.