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Depressive symptoms in elderly patients after a somatic illness event: prevalence, persistence, and risk factors

Peter de Jonge1, Gertrudis I J M Kempen, Robbert Sanderman

  • 1Dept. of Psychiatry, Univ. of Groningen, The Netherlands. p.de.jonge@med.rug.nl

Psychosomatics
|December 31, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Elderly patients experiencing major health events like heart attack or cancer face a high risk of depression. Neuroticism is a key factor predicting both the onset and persistence of these depressive symptoms.

Area of Science:

  • Geriatric Medicine
  • Psychiatry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Elderly individuals with somatic illnesses have an elevated risk for depression.
  • Understanding the prevalence and risk factors for depression post-somatic events is crucial for geriatric care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and persistence of depressive symptoms in elderly patients during the first year after myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, fall-related injury, or cancer diagnosis.
  • To identify pre-event risk factors associated with developing and sustaining depressive symptoms.

Main Methods:

  • The GLAS study analyzed data from 614 elderly patients experiencing specific somatic events.
  • Follow-up assessments occurred at 8 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year post-event.
  • Twenty-one baseline risk factors were evaluated for their association with depressive symptoms.

Main Results:

  • Depressive symptoms were observed in 38.3% of patients during the post-event year, with 19.1% experiencing mild symptoms.
  • Depressive symptoms persisted in 67.5% of patients.
  • Significant pre-event risk factors included baseline depressive symptoms, age, smoking, poor general health, poor well-being, and neuroticism.

Conclusions:

  • Neuroticism emerged as a significant predictor for both the occurrence and persistence of post-event depressive symptoms.
  • The findings suggest that neuroticism may indicate a predisposition to depression in elderly patients facing significant health challenges.
  • Targeting neuroticism could be a strategy for managing depression in this vulnerable population.

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