Gandhi Rohankumar, Kotecha Ilesh, Damor Kaushikkumar R, Murugan Yogesh
Community and Family Medicine, Shri Meghaji Pethraj (MP) Shah Government Medical College, Jamnagar, IND.
Community Medicine, Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) Medical College, Rajpipla, IND.
Cureus. 2024 Aug 16;16(8):e66987. doi: 10.7759/cureus.66987. eCollection 2024 Aug.
An often-occurring and severely disabling mental illness that mostly affects older people living in urban slums is depression. Developing successful therapies requires an understanding of the complex interactions between the different factors that contribute to depression in this susceptible population.
This study aimed to find the prevalence of depression and identify the factors associated with depression in the geriatric population aged ≥60 years in the study area during the study period in Gujarat, India.
This study was carried out among 450 participants aged ≥60 years. Face-to-face interviews and standardized assessment tools, including the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for depression and the Mini-Cog test for cognitive impairment, were used to collect data on depression levels, sociodemographic characteristics, behavioral factors, medical conditions, life events, and psychiatric history. Statistical analyses, including chi-squared tests, were performed to assess the associations.
Significant associations were found between various factors and depression levels, which were lower education (11.11% severe depression among non-literate vs. 2.11% among literate, p<0.001) and widowhood (11.56% severe depression among widowed vs. 4.53% among married, p<0.001), which were linked to higher depression severity. Behavioral risk factors like short sleep duration (<6 hours at night: 21.71% severe depression, p<0.001), tobacco snuffing (16.24% severe depression, p<0.001), and lack of physical activity (28.71% severe depression, p<0.001) were strongly associated with increased depression. Medical conditions such as hypertension (10.36% severe depression, p<0.001) and stressful life events like family conflicts (16.67% severe depression, p<0.001) exhibited strong associations. A personal history of depression (38.82% severe depression, p<0.001) was a potent predictor.
The study highlights the multifaceted nature of depression in the geriatric population of the study area, underscoring the necessity of all-encompassing measures to tackle the recognized possible risk factors. The results provide valuable insights for developing targeted prevention strategies, healthcare policies, and support systems to enhance the mental well-being of this vulnerable population.
抑郁症是一种常见且严重致残的精神疾病，主要影响居住在城市贫民窟的老年人。开发成功的治疗方法需要了解导致这一易感人群患抑郁症的不同因素之间的复杂相互作用。
本研究旨在确定印度古吉拉特邦研究期间研究区域内60岁及以上老年人群中抑郁症的患病率，并确定与抑郁症相关的因素。
本研究在450名60岁及以上的参与者中进行。通过面对面访谈和标准化评估工具，包括用于评估抑郁程度的老年抑郁量表（GDS）和用于评估认知障碍的简易认知测试，收集有关抑郁水平、社会人口学特征、行为因素、医疗状况、生活事件和精神病史的数据。进行了包括卡方检验在内的统计分析以评估相关性。
发现各种因素与抑郁水平之间存在显著关联，这些因素包括低教育程度（文盲中重度抑郁症患者占11.11%，识字者中占2.11%，p<0.001）和丧偶（丧偶者中重度抑郁症患者占11.56%，已婚者中占4.53%，p<0.001），它们与更高的抑郁严重程度相关。行为风险因素，如睡眠时间短（夜间<6小时：重度抑郁症患者占21.71%，p<0.001）、吸鼻烟（重度抑郁症患者占16.24%，p<0.001）和缺乏体育活动（重度抑郁症患者占28.71%，p<0.001）与抑郁症增加密切相关。高血压等医疗状况（重度抑郁症患者占10.36%，p<0.001）和家庭冲突等压力性生活事件（重度抑郁症患者占16.67%，p<0.001）也表现出强烈的相关性。抑郁症个人史（重度抑郁症患者占38.82%，p<0.001）是一个有力的预测因素。
该研究突出了研究区域老年人群中抑郁症的多面性，强调了采取全面措施应对已确认的可能风险因素的必要性。研究结果为制定有针对性的预防策略、医疗保健政策和支持系统以提高这一弱势群体的心理健康提供了有价值的见解。
