Prevalence of depression in a 55-year-old Finnish population.

The prevalence of depression, measured as high rates of depressive symptoms (Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale), was studied in a 55-year-old Finnish population consisting of all persons born in 1935 and living in the city of Oulu on 1 October 1990, who were alive at the beginning of the study (n = 1008). Of these, 345 men (76%) and 435 women (79%) participated in the examinations. The prevalence of depression was 6.8% in men and 12.1% in women. The group of depressed women consisted of persons who were divorced or widowed, less educated and without work. Among the men, depression was not associated with withdrawal, but with a sedentary lifestyle and the occurrence of two life events during the previous 5 years. Differences in the social roles of the sexes may explain these results.