Depression in the elderly: study in a rural city in southern Catalonia

Accessible summary •  Depression in our community is high for people over 65 years. •  Men are more affected by illness, death of spouse and loneliness as they have not been prepared for it because of the roles they have been socialized are different. •  Depression is higher for women throughout lif...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychiatric and mental health nursing 2012-06, Vol.19 (5), p.426-429
Main Authors: MONTESÓ, P., FERRE, C., LLEIXA, M., ALBACAR, N., AGUILAR, C., SANCHEZ, A., LEJEUNE, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology
Comorbidity
depression
Depressive Disorder - epidemiology
Depressive Disorder - prevention & control
elderly care
Female
Health Status
Humans
Male
mental health
Middle Aged
Nursing
Prevalence
primary care
Risk Factors
Rural Population
Sex Distribution
Spain - epidemiology
Suicide - prevention & control
women's issues
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Summary:Accessible summary •  Depression in our community is high for people over 65 years. •  Men are more affected by illness, death of spouse and loneliness as they have not been prepared for it because of the roles they have been socialized are different. •  Depression is higher for women throughout life, but shorten the differences in those over 65 years. •  It is important to diagnose depression in this age group for suicide prevention. Depression and anxiety are the most common psychiatric diseases among the elderly, and frequently go without diagnosis and treatment. However, evidence regarding the prevalence of depression related to the diagnostic systems utilized and the sociocultural variations in the different communities investigated (rural–urban) is contradictory. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of depression in a rural area in the south of Catalonia, analysing the different age groups, identifying the causal factors of depression and determining whether there are gender differences. The descriptive and quantitative study includes 157 women and 160 men. The qualitative study evaluates 14 men and 52 women diagnosed with depression. Our results indicate a high risk of depression in elderly participants of our small rural community. Widowers suffer more depression than widows and the loneliness, illness, and task of caregiver were predictive variables for depression in these elderly men. The loss of the ability to perform activities of daily living associated with ageing has a greater effect on depression disorders in men than in women.
ISSN:1351-0126
1365-2850
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2850.2011.01798.x