Gibson R C, Neita S M, Abel W D, James K, Eldemire-Shearer D
Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7,Jamaica.
West Indian Med J. 2013 Sep;62(7):615-9. doi: 10.7727/wimj.2012.273.
To explore possible associations of age, gender, socio-economic status, educational level and level of cognitive functioning with depressive symptoms in a community sample of elderly persons.
Two hundred elderly persons from two communities in Kingston, Jamaica, were randomly selected for participation in the study. They or their caregivers provided sociodemographic information and participants also completed the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (ZSDS) and the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE). Variables of interest were entered in a multiple variable regression model using ZSDS score as the outcome variable.
Predictors of depression were older age (B = 0.26, se = 0.08, p < 0.01), female gender (B = 3.98, se = 1.44, p < 0.01), low socio-economic status (B = 5.14, se = 1.50, p = 0.01) and low level of cognitive function (B = -0.38, se = 0.18, p < 0.05). No statistically significant association was found between educational attainment and depressive symptoms.
The findings highlight the need for further exploration of the extent to which the associations identified are relevant for the overall population of elderly persons as well as the potential value of targeted preventive and treatment interventions.
在一个老年社区样本中，探究年龄、性别、社会经济地位、教育水平和认知功能水平与抑郁症状之间可能存在的关联。
从牙买加金斯敦的两个社区随机选取200名老年人参与研究。他们或其照料者提供了社会人口学信息，参与者还完成了zung自评抑郁量表（ZSDS）和简易精神状态检查表（MMSE）。以ZSDS得分作为结果变量，将感兴趣的变量纳入多元回归模型。
抑郁的预测因素为年龄较大（B = 0.26，标准误 = 0.08，p < 0.01）、女性（B = 3.98，标准误 = 1.44，p < 0.01）、社会经济地位较低（B = 5.14，标准误 = 1.50，p = 0.01）和认知功能水平较低（B = -0.38，标准误 = 0.18，p < 0.05）。未发现教育程度与抑郁症状之间存在统计学上的显著关联。
研究结果凸显了进一步探究所确定的关联在多大程度上适用于全体老年人的必要性，以及针对性预防和治疗干预措施的潜在价值。
