Depressive symptoms in late life : Results from a study in three Nordic urban localities

The prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms among 75-year-olds were examined in three Nordic urban localities: Gothenburg, Sweden (n=446), Jyväskylä, Finland (n=382) and Glostrup, Denmark (n=541). Depressive symptomatology was assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Prevalence figures for depressiveness seemed to be somewhat higher in Jyväskylä than in the two other localities. Women had more depressive symptoms than men in all three areas. The lowest mean score was recorded for Danish men and the highest level of symptoms in Finnish women. The associations discovered in this Nordic comparative study between demographic characteristics and depressive symptoms are very similar to the findings of earlier studies: male sex, being married, a high level of education, and a good financial situation seemed to afford 'protection' against depressiveness. Morbidity and poor self-rated health showed a clear correlation with frequent depressive symptoms, as did loneliness variables describing the quality or the lack of human relations.