Factor structure of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression in a cohort of community-dwelling elderly.

We examined the factor structure of the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRS-D) in 206 community-dwelling elderly patients. Using principal components analysis and quartimax rotation, a four-factor structure involving all 17 items and accounting for 57.7% of the variance was desired. The factors represented the following dimensions of depressive symptomatology and illness: depressed affect, vegetative symptoms, anxiety, and agitation/insight. This factor structure reflects the presentation of depressive symptomatology and depressive illness in this population. Findings suggest that the HRS-D can be used for clinical assessment of depressive symptomatology along major dimensions of depressive illness in community-dwelling elderly.