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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 5/2014

01-05-2014 | Original Paper

Risk factors for depressive disorders in very old age: a population-based cohort study with a 5-year follow-up

Authors: Sofia Petersson, Johan Mathillas, Karin Wallin, Birgitta Olofsson, Per Allard, Yngve Gustafson

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 5/2014

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Abstract

Purpose

Depressive disorders are common among the very old, but insufficiently studied. The present study aims to identify risk factors for depressive disorders in very old age.

Methods

The present study is based on the GERDA project, a population-based cohort study of people aged ≥85 years (n = 567), with 5 years between baseline and follow-up. Factors associated with the development of depressive disorders according to DSM-IV criteria at follow-up were analysed by means of a multivariate logistic regression.

Results

At baseline, depressive disorders were present in 32.3 % of the participants. At follow-up, 69 % of those with baseline depressive disorders had died. Of the 49 survivors, 38 still had depressive disorders. Of the participants without depressive disorders at baseline, 25.5 % had developed depressive disorders at follow-up. Baseline factors independently associated with new cases of depressive disorders after 5 years were hypertension, a history of stroke and 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale score at baseline.

Conclusions

The present study supports the earlier findings that depressive disorders among the very old are common, chronic and malignant. Mild depressive symptoms as indicated by GDS-15 score and history of stroke or hypertension seem to be important risk factors for incident depressive disorders in very old age.
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Metadata
Title
Risk factors for depressive disorders in very old age: a population-based cohort study with a 5-year follow-up
Authors
Sofia Petersson
Johan Mathillas
Karin Wallin
Birgitta Olofsson
Per Allard
Yngve Gustafson
Publication date
01-05-2014
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 5/2014
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0771-2

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