Personality Functioning Measured with the OPD-Structure Questionnaire in Older Adults With and Without Depression:...

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of difficulties in personality functioning (PF) in older adults with depression and to explore the mediating role of the attitude toward own aging (ATOA).

To examine differences in the level of PF between healthy older adults (n = 42) and older inpatients with depression (n = 36), the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis - Structure Questionnaire (OPD-SQ) was employed. Moreover, in the total sample of older adults (N = 78), we examined whether the relationship between the level of PF and depression is mediated by the ATOA.

Compared with healthy older adults, older inpatients with depression reported significantly greater structural deficits in PF, notably in the subdomains of self-perception, self-regulation, and attachment to internal objects. The mediation analysis demonstrated that the relationship between PF and depression was partially mediated by the ATOA.

Depression is closely associated with impairments in PF even in older individuals. These impairments may be partially mediated by a negative ATOA, which in turn exacerbates depressive symptoms.

It seems useful to assess PF in older inpatients with depression and to accompany this with an exploration of the patient's ATOA.