Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Hospital, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal.
Department of Community Medicine, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal.
BMC Psychiatry. 2019 Sep 3;19(1):271. doi: 10.1186/s12888-019-2258-5.
The increasing elderly population worldwide is likely to increase mental health problems such as geriatric depression, which has mostly been studied in high-income countries. Similar studies are scarce in low-and-middle-income-countries like Nepal.
A cross-sectional, population-based, door-to-door survey was conducted in randomly selected rural and urban population clusters of the Kavre district, Nepal. Trained nurses (field interviewers) administered structured questionnaires that included a validated Nepali version of the Geriatric Depression Scale short form (GDS-15) for identifying geriatric depression among the elderly (≥60 years) participants (N = 460). Those scoring ≥6 on GDS-15 were considered depressed. Logistic regression analysis explored the associations of geriatric depression with regard to socio-demographic information, life style, family support and physical well-being.
Of the total 460 selected elderly participants, 439 (95.4%) took part in the study. More than half of them were females (54.2%). The mean age was 70.9 (± 8.6) years. Approximately half (50.6%) were rural inhabitants, the majority (86.1%) were illiterate, and about three-fifths (60.1%) were living with their spouses. The gender-and-age adjusted prevalence of geriatric depression was 53.1%. Geriatric depression was significantly associated with rural habitation (AOR 1.6), illiteracy (AOR 2.1), limited time provided by families (AOR 1.8), and exposure to verbal and/or physical abuse (AOR 2.6).
Geriatric depression is highly prevalent in Kavre, Nepal. The findings call for urgent prioritization of delivery of elderly mental health care services in the country.
全球老年人口的增加可能会导致更多的心理健康问题，如老年抑郁症，而这些问题大多在高收入国家进行了研究。在尼泊尔等中低收入国家，类似的研究很少。
在尼泊尔卡维里地区，我们进行了一项横断面、基于人群、逐户的调查，在随机选择的农村和城市人群中进行。经过培训的护士（现场调查员）使用结构化问卷进行调查，该问卷包括经过验证的尼泊尔版老年抑郁量表短表（GDS-15），用于识别老年人（≥60 岁）参与者中的老年抑郁症（N=460）。GDS-15 评分≥6 分者被认为患有抑郁症。逻辑回归分析探讨了老年抑郁症与社会人口统计学信息、生活方式、家庭支持和身体状况之间的关联。
在总共 460 名选定的老年参与者中，有 439 名（95.4%）参加了研究。其中一半以上为女性（54.2%）。平均年龄为 70.9（±8.6）岁。大约一半（50.6%）为农村居民，大多数（86.1%）为文盲，约五分之三（60.1%）与配偶同住。调整性别和年龄后的老年抑郁症患病率为 53.1%。老年抑郁症与农村居住（AOR 1.6）、文盲（AOR 2.1）、家庭提供的时间有限（AOR 1.8）以及遭受言语和/或身体虐待（AOR 2.6）显著相关。
老年抑郁症在尼泊尔卡维里地区患病率很高。研究结果呼吁该国紧急优先考虑提供老年人心理健康护理服务。
