Depression and its determinants among elderly living in Dibrugarh district, Assam: A community based cross-sectional...

The elderly population is predicted to reach 20% of the total Indian population by 2050. Among people over 60 years, depression is a common treatable mental health issue. Lack of clear clinical presentation in elderly and associated stigma hinders its diagnosis.

To estimate prevalence of depression and its determinants among elderly population.

This study was the community-based cross-sectional study, among elderly individuals aged ≥60 years from rural, urban, and tea-garden areas of Dibrugarh district. With a 37.3% prevalence of depression among Assam's elderly population and 5% absolute precision, the sample size was determined as 360, and multi-stage sampling technique was used. GDS-15 scale for depression and Katz (ADL) for functional status of elderly were utilized.

Prevalence of elderly depression was 25.6%. Highest rate of depression (42.9%) was seen among ≥80 years-old. Elderly who were financially dependent (30.6%), illiterate (35.2%) had significantly higher depression, while gender, place of residence, marital status, family type, and socioeconomic status, did not exhibit statistical significance. A negative life event within a year, multi-morbidity, history of fall, low physical activity, and physical dependence were significantly associated with depression.

Financial dependence, negative life events, inadequate physical activity, and multi-morbidity were independent predictors of depression among elderly.