Ganguli Mary, Gilby Joanne, Seaberg Eric, Belle Steven
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 1995;3(2):144-160. doi: 10.1097/00019442-199500320-00006. Epub 2012 Aug 8.
In a random population sample of 1,040 elderly persons participating in a community survey, subjects were screened for depressive symptoms using a modified Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale. About 10% reported five or more possible symptoms of depression present during 3 or more days of the previous week. Approximately 1% of the sample had a sufficient number of symptoms for a diagnosis of major depression, although severity, disability, and 2-week duration were not assessed. More depressive symptoms were found to be independently associated with the following: age, widowhood, and less education; general health and appetite self-rated as fair-to-poor; and a greater number of sleep problems, social support problems, and stressful life events in the previous year. Further, subjects with more depressive symptoms were significantly more likely to have been recently hospitalized and to have used home health and social services. These findings have implications for the public health importance of depressive symptomatology, even when subsyndromal, in older groups.
在参与社区调查的1040名老年人的随机人群样本中，使用改良的流行病学研究中心抑郁量表对受试者进行抑郁症状筛查。约10%的人报告在前一周的3天或更长时间内出现了5种或更多可能的抑郁症状。尽管未评估严重程度、残疾情况和持续2周的时间，但样本中约1%的人有足够数量的症状可诊断为重度抑郁。研究发现，更多的抑郁症状与以下因素独立相关：年龄、丧偶和受教育程度较低；自我评定的总体健康和食欲为一般至较差；以及上一年出现更多的睡眠问题、社会支持问题和应激性生活事件。此外，抑郁症状较多的受试者近期住院以及使用家庭健康和社会服务的可能性显著更高。这些发现对于老年人群中抑郁症状学（即使是亚综合征性的）的公共卫生重要性具有启示意义。
