Medical Science
Volume 24, Issue 103, May - June, 2020
Prevalence and risk factors of depression among community dwelling elderly
Saadati Hemin1♦, Azkhosh Manouchehr1, Froughan Mahshid2, Bahmani Bahman1, Khanjani Mohammad Saeed1
1Department of Counseling, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2Department of Gerontology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
♦Corresponding author
Department of Counseling, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences,
Tehran, Iran
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The world’s population is getting older, and the challenges of old age have come to the attention of healthcare systems
in many countries. Depression is one of the major syndromes of old age. Given the contradictory findings regarding the prevalence
of depression among older adults, the goal of the present study was to examine the prevalence and related factors of depression
among community-dwelling older adults in Tehran in 2019. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sample
included a total of 847 community-dwelling older adults, aged 60 years or over, living in Tehran, who were selected using a
multistage cluster sampling method. The data was collected by trained interviewers, using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).
Results: 68.9% of the older adults had depression, of which 28.6% had mild depression, 33.2% had moderate depression, and 7.2%
had severe depression. Being older, experiencing more stressful life events, having improper financial status, and lower education
were identified as related factors for depression in older adults (P<.01). Conclusion: According to the results, a large number of older
adults living in Tehran have depression. In addition, being older, having higher number of stressful life events, poor financial
condition, and lower education were identified as related factors for depression in older adults. Further studies are needed to
investigate the related factors for depression in the elderly.
Keywords: Depression, healthcare, Prevalence
Medical Science, 2020, 24(103), 1287-1294
