Prevalence of depressive symptoms in people aged 50 years and older: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Depression is a serious health problem worldwide and is often associated with disability and reduced quality of life. In aging societies, early recognition of depression in older adults is highly relevant. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence of depressive symptoms in individuals aged 50 and older with the aim to identify those at risk for major depression.

We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study with data from 1000BRAINS to assess depressive symptoms in a sample of 1017 healthy adults aged 50 and older. The prevalence and dimension of depressive symptoms were measured by the Beck Depression Inventory II, and differences between demographic, clinical, and lifestyle-associated variables and the prevalence of depressive symptoms were analyzed.

Depressive symptoms were present in 21.3 % of the participants and were minimal in 14.2 %, mild in 4.5 %, moderate in 1.8 %, and severe in 0.8 %. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was highest in the age group 50 to 59 years, and the prevalence of severe depressive symptoms decreased with increasing age. A positive family history of depression, cognitive impairment, medication intake, and polyneuropathy were associated with significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms.

The retrospective cross-sectional design and evaluation of depressive symptoms by a self-rating instrument may limit the generalizability of the results.

This study supports earlier findings of a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms among older adults. The group aged 50 to 59 appears to be particularly affected. Additionally, poor physical health, greater cognitive impairment, and sex-specific factors appear to contribute to depressive symptomatology.