Rate of Depressive Symptoms and Associated Risk Factors Among the Elderly in Haldwani Block of Nainital District, Uttarakhand, India

Background: At least 350 million people live with depression, and it is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Symptoms of depression are often overlooked and untreated among the elderly because they coincide with other problems encountered during this age. The aim of this study was to assess the rate of depressive symptoms and associated risk factors among the elderly. Materials and Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 440 individuals belonging to the elderly population from November 2013 to October 2014. A five-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale was used to rate the depressive symptoms among the elderly besides asking socio-demographic details. Data were collected, coded and entered into Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, and it was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States). Univariate analysis was performed using chi-square test and odds ratio. Binary logistic regression was used to know the relation of various risk factors with depression. Results: The rate of depressive symptoms was 17.5% ± 6.56. On univariate analysis, depression was observed more in females, the widowed, the illiterate, people with low socio-economic status (SES), those who were financially dependent and those having disturbed sleep. On applying binary logistic regression, only SES and sleep pattern were found to be significant variables influencing the presence of depression in the elderly. Conclusion: Depression is an emerging public health problem of today’s world, especially among the elderly who are less educated and with no source of income, as they are financially dependent on others; in addition, loss of spouse adds to their woes.