Asian Nursing Research
Volume 3, Issue 3 , Pages 121-129, September 2009

Prevalence and Predictors of Geriatric Depression in Community-Dwelling Elderly

  • Jeung-Im Kim, RN, PhD

      Affiliations

    • School of Nursing, Soon Chun Hyang University, Asan, Korea
    • ,
  • Myoung-Ae Choe, RN, PhD

      Affiliations

    • College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
    • ,
  • Young Ran Chae, RN, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Nursing, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Korea
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Young Ran Chae, Department of Nursing, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, Kangwondo, 200-701, Korea

Received 25 June 2009; received in revised form 3 July 2009; accepted 4 September 2009.

Article Outline

Purpose

This study aimed to examine the relationship between depressive mood and physical and socio-environmental variables of community-dwelling elderly.

Methods

This study was designed as a cross-sectional descriptive survey. The setting was two elderly welfare centers and two public health centers in Korea. The subjects were recruited by public announcement and participated after giving their written informed consent. A total of 295 participants were included in the final analysis. The Korean version of the short form of Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS-K), Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG-IC) of activities of daily living (ADL) and a socio-demographic questionnaire were administered to participants. Hand-grip strength was measured with a hand dynamometer.

Results

The prevalence of depression among the subjects was 63%. Of the elderly, 21% had severe depressive symptoms. The mean depression score was 6.21 (SD = 3.83) and it was higher in women than in men. In the regression analysis, perceived health status alone had an accountability of 17.3% to depression. When TMIG-IC was added, this increased to 22.6%. Additionally, when hand-grip strength and social activities were input, it increased to 25.2%. Therefore, perceived health status was a significant and powerful factor explaining depression among the Korean elderly.

Conclusion

In this research, perceived health status was the most powerful predictor of elderly depression. TMIG-IC, hand-grip strength and social activities also predicted Korean elderly depression. These factors should be considered when the program is developed for elderly people with depression. [Asian Nursing Research 2009;3(3):121–129]

Key Words:  elderly , hand strength , health status

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PII: S1976-1317(09)60023-2

doi:10.1016/S1976-1317(09)60023-2

Asian Nursing Research
Volume 3, Issue 3 , Pages 121-129, September 2009

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