Relationship between Depression and Cognitive Impairment among Elderly: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Depression and cognitive impairment are common mental health problems among elderly, although few studies have examined their co-occurrence in aging population. So the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between depression and cognitive impairment in older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study was conducted on 506 older adults were presented to the health centers of the municipality of Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using the sociodemographic questionnaire, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Data were analyzed by using SPSS-17 with correlation analysis and logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the participants was 65.71 years. Older people (>75 years) had more twice risk (95% CI: 1.01-4.90) for cognitive dysfunction. There was a significant correlation between MMSE and GDS. Elderly with collegiate education had 85% (95% CI: 0.1-0.5) and employed elderly had 56% (95% CI: 0.04-0.74) lower risk for cognitive dysfunction. Elderly with severe depression had twice risk (95% CI: 1.41-4.8) for cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion: Findings suggest there is a relationship between depression and cognitive impairment among the elderly. These findings emphasis on assessing cognitive impairment and depression in geriatric assessment in elderly.