Depression among the elderly population in Sohag governorate

OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of geriatric depression and factors associated with its occurrence among a sample of the elderly population in Sohag Governorate. METHODS: A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted from May 2016 to March 2017 with 1,027 elderly individuals (aged ≥60 years) living in Sohag Governorate, Egypt. A questionnaire was designed and included inquiries on socio-demographic variables (age, gender, and residence) and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) to determine the outcome variable, the presence of depression, among the studied elderly population. RESULTS: About two-thirds (62.7%) of participants suffered from depression. Regarding depression levels, 450 (43.8%) participants had mild depression with GDS-15 scores between 5 and 8, and 18.9% of participants had moderate depression, represented by GDS-15 scores between 9 and 11. No participants had severe depression. Applying logistic regression analysis, increased age, female gender, and living in rural areas were significantly linked to the occurrence of geriatric depression among participants. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the need to introduce geriatric clinics into healthcare services and to provide counseling and psychiatric services, and to support high-risk groups and evaluate them regularly for early detection in order to positively impact their life quality.