Nurses' Late-Life Depression Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Late-life depression is increasingly prevalent in hospital settings.
• Nurses require adequate knowledge and positive attitudes to effectively manage depression in older adults.
• This study addresses the need to assess current nursing knowledge and attitudes regarding geriatric depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the knowledge level of hospital nurses concerning late-life depression.
• To assess hospital nurses' attitudes towards depression in older patients.
• To identify factors influencing nurses' knowledge and attitudes regarding geriatric depression.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional research design was employed.
• A convenience sample of 307 nurses from three Taiwanese hospitals participated.
• Data were collected using the Late-Life Depression Quiz and the Revised Depression Attitude Questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Nurses achieved an average score of 55.15% on the Late-Life Depression Quiz, indicating limited knowledge.
• The average score on the Revised Depression Attitude Questionnaire was 71.76 (SD = 6.13), suggesting neutral to slightly favorable attitudes.
• Higher knowledge scores correlated with more favorable attitudes, greater interest in caring for depressed older patients, and prior experience with such patients.

Conclusions:

• Hospital nurses in Taiwan possess limited knowledge of late-life depression and exhibit neutral to slightly favorable attitudes.
• In-service training programs for nurses on depression require careful evaluation and potential enhancement.
• Interventions are recommended to improve nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards late-life depression to enhance patient care.