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Vol. 50. Issue 4.
Pages 285-289 (October - December 2021)
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Vol. 50. Issue 4.
Pages 285-289 (October - December 2021)
Original article
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Factors related to depression in elderly patients attending primary health care centres in Chiclayo (Peru)
Factores relacionados con depresión en adultos mayores atendidos en atención primaria de salud en Chiclayo
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Virgilio E. Failoc-Rojasa,
Corresponding author
virgiliofr@gmail.com

Corresponding author.
, Aldo Del Pielago Meoñob
a Unidad De Investigación Para La Generación y Síntesis De Evidencias En Salud, Universidad San Ignacio De Loyola, Lima, Peru
b Facultad De Medicina, Universidad Nacional Pedro Ruiz Gallo, Lambayeque, Peru
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Tables (3)
Table 1. Characteristics of older adults in the district of La Victoria, Chiclayo (n = 302).
Table 2. Bivariate analysis of the affective status and other variables in older adults in the district of La Victoria, Chiclayo.
Table 3. Factors associated with the affective status of older adults in a city in Peru.
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Abstract
Objectives

The aim of this work is to evaluate the factors related to depression in older adults seen in the health centres of Chiclayo.

Methods

An observational, prospective, analytical study that included adults over 60 years of age residing in the Chiclayo district (Peru). The abbreviated depression scale of Yesavage was used. Univariate analysis was performed, presented as frequencies and percentages, as well as bivariate analysis using chi-squared. Adjusted logistic regressions were calculated for age and gender.

Results

A total of 302 older adults participated in this study. The median age was 73 years. It was found that 30.8 % had depressive signs, and 18.2 % had some degree of cognitive deterioration. Just over half (160, 52.98 %) had a socio-familial risk, and 29 (9.60 %) were detected in the dependent functional assessment. There was an association in the analysis of depression, age group, cognitive impairment, socio-family assessment (P < .05). In the multivariate analysis adjusted for age and gender, cognitive deterioration and socio-family assessment continued to be risk factors.

Conclusions

Depression is associated with a deficiency in the cognitive state, with familial partner risk being an influential factor that may be preventable.

Keywords:
Public health
Aged
Depression
Primary health care
Resumen
Objetivos

El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar los factores relacionados con la depresión en adultos mayores de los centros de salud de Chiclayo, Perú.

Métodos

Estudio observacional, prospectivo y analítico que incluyó a adultos mayores de 60 años que residían en el distrito Chiclayo (Perú). Se usó la escala de depresión de Yesavaje abreviada. Se realizó un análisis univariado con datos presentados en frecuencias y porcentajes, y otro bivariado mediante la prueba de la χ2. Se calcularon las regresiones logísticas ajustadas por edad y sexo.

Resultados

Participaron en total 302 adultos mayores. El promedio de la edad fue 73 años. Se encontró que el 308% presentaba manifestaciones depresivas; el 182%, con algún grado de deterioro cognitivo. Hubo 160 (52,98 %) que tenían un riesgo sociofamiliar; en la valoración funcional dependiente, se detectó a 29 (9,60 %). Se halló asociación en el análisis de depresión, grupo etáreo, deterioro cognitivo y valoración sociofamiliar (p < 005). En el análisis multivariado ajustado por edad y sexo, el deterioro cognitivo y la valoración sociofamiliar continuaron siendo factores de riesgo.

Conclusiones

La depresión se asocia con deficiencia en el estado cognitivo, y el riesgo sociofamiliar es un factor influyente que se puede prevenir.

Palabras clave:
Salud pública
Anciano
Depresión
Atención primaria de salud
Full Text
Introduction

The increase in life expectancy is one of the most important social changes in this century.1 It brings with it an increase in older adults around the world who, due to ageing, suffer affective, physical and social losses that mostly lead to negative attitudes about themselves or life,1,2 so it is important to evaluate the physical and mental condition of this population.

Depression is characterised by the presence of sadness, loss of interest and low self-esteem, which can be persistent and not caused by an external factor,2 and can lead from impaired quality of life to suicide.3,4 The literature indicates that depression has a higher prevalence in older adults than in young people,5 and leads to other diseases in older adults, when it is preventable in primary care.3,5

In a worldwide systematic review, the global prevalence of depression in older adults is 13.5 %,4 very similar to a primary study such as the EURODEP (Depression among Older People in Europe), which found a global prevalence of depression of 12.3 % (women, 14.1 %; men, 8.6 %).6 These studies are mainly of European and developed countries, but these prevalences may vary compared to other regions such as South America.

Depression in older adults should always be diagnosed, evaluated and treated to improve the quality of life of these patients.7 For this reason, it is important to know the risk factors associated with depression in older adults, to make health promotion and prevention measures possible for this age group as from primary care.

The general objective of this study is to evaluate the factors associated with depression in older adults at two health centres in La Victoria, Chiclayo, attended in 2016 as outpatients.

Material and methodsParticipants

An observational, analytical, prospective study was carried out between January and December 2016, surveying people over 60 years of age who attended two health centres (Fernando Carbajal Segura El Bosque and La Victoria Sector II) in La Victoria, Chiclayo, Peru, which serve a large population of older adults.

From a total of 1250 registered older adults, the sample was obtained to calculate proportions, with an expected proportion of 35 %,7 a precision of 5% and a confidence interval of 95 %. A minimum of 274 participants were obtained. A rejection rate of 10 % was assumed, so the final sample was 301 older adults. A simple random sampling method was used from the patient register of the health centres in question. Adults over 60 years of age who were followed up in the established zone were included and those who suffered from a mental disorder that prevented answering the questions were excluded.

Tools

The following variables were evaluated:

  • Affective state: the Yesavage depression scale - short form (sensitivity, 81.1 %; specificity, 76.7 %). This evaluates the presence or absence of manifestations of depression.8

  • Cognitive assessment: abbreviated Pfeiffer questionnaire (sensitivity, 85.7 %; specificity, 79.3 %). This consists of 10 questions on orientation, memory and simple calculations.9

  • Functional assessment: Katz index validated in Spanish (reproducibility coefficient = 0.94; correlation coefficient = 0.73). Six functions present in activities of daily living were evaluated.9

  • Social assessment of older adults. This assesses a group of aspects that allow us to get a general idea of the family, social and economic situation of the older adult, classified as good, fair or poor.

Data collection and analysis

The data were collected taking as a source the interview with the older adult and other variables (mainly epidemiological data, age, sex and origin). The researchers collected the data in a single day, in coordination with the heads of the facilities and using the medical record number to localise the data.

The data were tabulated in a database in Microsoft Excel 2013® and statistically processed with the STATA v.12.1 program. Quantitative data were presented as measures of central tendency and standard deviations, after verification of the normal distribution with the Shapiro-Wilk test. Qualitative data (affective, functional, cognitive, nutritional and social status) were summarised as proportions and percentages. For the bivariate analysis, the chi square test and Fisher's exact test were used for categorical variables. A multivariate analysis was performed adjusting the associated variables in the bivariate for age and sex, with a multivariate logistic regression using the Poisson family, with the log link function. The confidence interval and the p values obtained from the model were reported. A p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Ethical aspects

The study received the approval of the ethics committee of the Hospital Regional de Lambayeque [Lambayeque Regional Hospital]. In addition, the heads of each of the health facilities gave permission to carry out the research, and the anonymity of the information collected was preserved.

Results

In total, 302 older adults were evaluated, with a median age of 73 (range, 60–95) years. The frequency of depression was 30.8 %. It was also found that 247 patients (81.8 %) had normal cognitive function. The most frequent comorbidity was arterial hypertension (45.7 %). The other categories are detailed in Table 1.

Table 1.

Characteristics of older adults in the district of La Victoria, Chiclayo (n = 302).

Female  192 (63.6) 
Male  110 (36.4) 
Age
60−64 years  56 (18.5) 
65−69 years  56 (18.5) 
70−74 years  52 (17.2) 
75−79 years  72 (23.9) 
≥80 years  66 (21.9) 
Age (years)  73 (60−95) 
Cognitive status
Normal  247 (81.8) 
Mild  35 (11.6) 
Moderate  11 (3.6) 
Severe  9 (3) 
Affective status
Without manifestations of depression  209 (69.2) 
With manifestations of depression  93 (30.8) 
Functional assessment
Dependent  29 (9.6) 
Independent  273 (90.4) 
Nutritional status
Underweight  57 (18.9) 
Normal weight  159 (52.7) 
Overweight  52 (17.2) 
Obesity  34 (11.2) 
Social family assessment
Good situation  103 (34.1) 
Social risk  160 (53) 
Social problem  39 (12.9) 
Comorbidities
None  79 (26.16) 
Arterial hypertension  138 (45.7) 
Type 2 diabetes mellitus  36 (11.9) 
Osteoarticular problems  109 (36.1) 

Values express n (%) or median (interval) with non-normal distribution (Shapiro–Wilk <0.05).

In the bivariate analysis regarding the factors associated with depression, the patients with cognitive deficits had a risk of having a manifestation of depression 2.35 times greater than those without cognitive deficits (95 % CI 1.72–3.21). Additionally, patients over the age of 80 had a 52 % higher risk of depression than those aged <60–69 years. Social problems and social risk were risk factors for depression (prevalence ratio [PR] = 4.19 and 1.85, respectively). Other results are detailed in Table 2.

Table 2.

Bivariate analysis of the affective status and other variables in older adults in the district of La Victoria, Chiclayo.

Characteristics  Bivariate analysisRaw model 
  With depression  Without depression  PR  95 % CI 
Age group           
60−69 years  36 (32.14)  76 (67.86)     
70−79 years  32 (23.02)  107 (76.98)  0.71  0.47−1.07  0.107 
≥80 years  25 (49.02)  26 (50.98)  1.52  1.03−2.24  0.033 
Gender           
Male  31 (28.2)  79 (71.8)     
Female  62 (32.3)  130 (67.7)  1.14  0.79−1.64  0.461 
Cognitive status           
Without cognitive impairment  61 (24.7)  186 (75.3)     
With cognitive impairment  32 (58.2)  23 (41.8)  2.35  1.72−3.22  <0.001* 
Functional assessment           
Independent  81 (29.7)  192 (70.3)     
Dependent  12 (41.4)  17 (58.6)  1.39  0.87−2.23  0.166* 
Social family assessment           
Good situation  17 (16.5)  86 (83.5)     
Social risk  49 (30.6)  111 (69.4)  1.85  1.13−3.03  0.014* 
Social problem  27 (69.2)  12 (30.8)  4.19  2.59−6.79  <0.001 
Nutritional assessment           
Normal  47 (29.38)  113 (70.63)     
Underweight  11 (44)  14 (56)  1.50  0.9−2.48  0.116 
Overweight  24 (28.92)  59 (71.08)  0.98  0.65−1.49  0.941 
Obesity  11 (32.35)  23 (67.65)  1.10  0.64−1.90  0.727 
Comorbidities           
Arterial hypertension  48 (34.8)  90 (65.2)  1.26  0.90−1.77  0.169 
Diabetes mellitus  10 (27.8)  26 (72.2)  0.89  0.51−1.55  0.682 
Osteoarticular problems  35 (32.1)  74 (67.9)  1.06  0.75−1.51  0.709 

RP: prevalence ratio.

*

Chi square test.

In the multivariate analysis, a possible interaction between cognitive status and social family assessment was evaluated with the Mantel-Haenszel test in the model adjusted for age and sex, which was not statistically significant. Cognitive impairment was a risk factor for depression (PR = 1.86; 95 % CI, 1.32–2.63). The social family assessment was also a risk factor, in contrast to the functional assessment (Table 3).

Table 3.

Factors associated with the affective status of older adults in a city in Peru.

Characteristics  Adjusted model 
  PRa  95 % CI 
Cognitive status
Without cognitive impairment     
With cognitive impairment  1.86  1.32−2.63  <0.001 
Social family assessment
Good situation     
Social risk  1.66  0.99−2.78  0.055 
Social problem  3.42  2.03−5.76  <0.001 
Functional assessment
Independent     
Dependent  1.36  0.86−2.16  0.190 

PRa: prevalence ratio adjusted for age and gender with generalised linear models, using the Poisson family. Significance threshold, p < 0.05.

Discussion

The study found that 30 % of older adults have depression, a finding similar to those in countries such as Spain (29.3–35 %),7,10 Colombia (29.5 %),11 or Mexico (28.9 %),12 but well above those of other studies in the European population, in which it was close to 12 %.3,6 Major depression can occur due to family, social or financial problems, and it has been seen in studies that the probability of suffering from dementia at an advanced age doubles if the patient is depressed.13,14 In a study carried out in Spain, it was found that the main emotional support for elderly patients is the family, which benefits their physical and psychological health.15

It must be taken into account that elderly patients also suffer from chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, etc., which impair their health. In a case-control study in the Netherlands, it was investigated whether antihypertensive treatment had any positive influence on cognitive function, but it was found that it did not.14 In this study, patients with and without chronic illnesses were equally likely to suffer from depression. This differs from some studies that found an association in older adults between depression and some chronic diseases, such as hypertension3,16 and cancer3, and some other risk factors not evaluated in this study, such as lack of physical activity and poor quality of life.7,10,11,17 This can be explained because patients with physical dependence, poor quality of life, lack of physical activity and chronic diseases suffer from a prior state of stress, which can lead to depression.6 In our study, some questions were answered by simple yes/no, so there may be information biases that could lead to error when analysing this variable, which differs from the literature and its interpretation may not be valid.

A higher frequency of depression was found in women, although both genders have the same probability of suffering it, which was similar to a study in a hospitalised population older than 60 years3 and unlike others in which being a woman had a greater risk of depression (one with a population older than 75 years3 and a systematic review4).

A strong association was found between cognitive impairment and depression (PR = 1.86), similar to other studies,7,12,18 which can be explained because cognitive impairment can be due to neurological, vascular or inflammatory lesions.13 Over time, cognitive decline can lead to increased depression and should be evaluated in older adults so as to prevent the progression of depression. It should be taken into account that depression has been associated with psychiatric illnesses such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, regardless of cognitive status,18 therefore promoting measures that prevent depression must be considered essential. In this study, patients with a mental disorder were not included, so the conclusions may not be extrapolated to that group of patients.

The strengths of this study are its use of validated tests for the use of data and the inclusion of more factors that may be associated with depression, in addition to the fact that being a randomised study in one district means the results can be extrapolated to a population similar to ours. The study's limitations are not having studies that associate social family risk for discussion, not including physical activity as a variable, and being a cross-sectional study that cannot give causality. In addition, another limitation may be information bias, as some older adults may not have reported depression for various reasons, thus the prevalence could be underestimated.

Conclusions

The factors associated with depression are advanced age, impaired cognitive status and social family risk. The latter are modifiable factors, so promoting health and a better social and family environment should be started at an early age, as well as stimulating older adults to improve their cognitive development and carry out physical activities.

Conflicts of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

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Please cite this article as: Failoc-Rojas VE, Meoño ADP. Factores relacionados con depresión en adultos mayores atendidos en atención primaria de salud en Chiclayo. Rev Colomb Psiquiat. 2021;50:285–289.

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