Changes in depressive symptoms of older adults the Czech Republic

Abstract Background It is unclear whether the rising burden of depression is due to its increasing prevalence or better detection. We aimed to study trends in depressive symptoms in older individuals from the Czech Republic. Methods We used data from the Survey on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe. Depressive symptoms, defined by 4 or more points on the EURO-D scale, alone or in combination with pharmacological treatment, were compared between participants in 2006/2007 (cohort 1) and in 2015 (cohort 2). Binary logistic regression assessed the association of cohort 2 with depressive symptoms, step-wise adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms (defined by EURO-D) was 28% in cohort 1 and 22% in cohort 2 (p  Limitations Information about pharmacological treatment has been reported inaccurately. Conclusions The prevalence of depressive symptoms has decreased in older adults in the Czech Republic. Additional increase in education and socioeconomic resources of the population could further reduce the depressive symptoms in the population.