Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, India.
MEDICC Rev. 2013 Oct;15(4):41-4. doi: 10.37757/MR2013V15.N4.10.
With a rapidly aging society, geriatric mental health is emerging as an important public health concern. According to the WHO, prevalence of depression in adults aged ≥60 years in developed and developing countries was 0.5 million and 4.8 million respectively in 2004. In India, increased life expectancy led to a rise in the older adult population between 2001 and 2011, expected to reach 324 million by 2050.
To estimate the prevalence of depression and assess association between sociodemographic parameters and depression among older adults in a rural Indian community.
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in February and March 2012 in the rural village of Sembakkam, Kancheepuram District in the state of Tamil Nadu, India; the village has a population of 5948, 3.1% of whom are aged ≥60 years. Universal sampling technique was employed, in which every household in the community was visited and all elderly persons were selected. After obtaining written informed consent (a thumbprint was taken if the person was illiterate), participants were assessed face to face for depression using the Short Form Geriatric Depression Scale. The inclusion criterion was a score >24 on the mini-mental state examination. Final sample size was 103. Study variables included sociodemographic parameters such as age, sex, education, occupation, socioeconomic status, and marital status. Data entry and statistical analysis used SPSS version 17.
Of 103 respondents interviewed, 73 (70.9%) were aged 60-69 years and 58 (56.3%) were male. Forty-four (42.7%) individuals (17 males, 27 females) were found to be depressed; 23 (22.3%) with mild depression, 14 (13.6%) moderate depression and 7 (6.8%) severe depression. Female sex and widowhood were significantly associated with depression.
Depression, particularly mild depression, is common in this rural population of older adults, particularly among women and widowed elderly. These study findings can help program managers implement a more comprehensive strategy in this community for timely interventions to promote mental health and prevent geriatric depression.
随着社会老龄化的加速，老年心理健康正成为一个重要的公共卫生问题。根据世界卫生组织（WHO）的数据，2004 年发达国家和发展中国家 60 岁及以上成年人的抑郁症患病率分别为 50 万和 480 万。在印度，预期寿命的延长导致 2001 年至 2011 年老年人口增加，到 2050 年将达到 3.24 亿。
评估印度农村社区老年人群中抑郁症的患病率，并评估社会人口学参数与抑郁症之间的关联。
这是一项于 2012 年 2 月至 3 月在印度泰米尔纳德邦坎奇普伦区森巴卡姆村进行的横断面描述性研究；该村人口 5948 人，其中 3.1%年龄在 60 岁及以上。采用普遍抽样技术，对社区中的每个家庭进行访问，并选择所有老年人。在获得书面知情同意（如果参与者不识字，则采取指纹）后，使用简易精神状态检查表对老年人进行面对面评估，以确定是否患有抑郁症。纳入标准为简易精神状态检查得分>24 分。最终样本量为 103。研究变量包括年龄、性别、教育、职业、社会经济地位和婚姻状况等社会人口学参数。使用 SPSS 版本 17 进行数据录入和统计分析。
在接受访谈的 103 名受访者中，73 名（70.9%）年龄在 60-69 岁，58 名（56.3%）为男性。44 名（42.7%）个体（17 名男性，27 名女性）被诊断为抑郁症；23 名（22.3%）为轻度抑郁症，14 名（13.6%）为中度抑郁症，7 名（6.8%）为重度抑郁症。女性性别和丧偶与抑郁症显著相关。
在这个农村老年人群中，抑郁症，特别是轻度抑郁症，较为常见，尤其是在女性和丧偶的老年人中。这些研究结果可以帮助项目管理人员在该社区实施更全面的策略，及时进行干预，以促进心理健康，预防老年抑郁症。
