Disability and severe depression among Peruvian older adults: analysis of the Peru Demographic and Family Health Survey, ENDES 2017

BACKGROUND: Depression is considered a mental health-related disability that affects approximately 350 million people worldwide. On the other hand, it is estimated that 15% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability, and this scenario is currently riddled with the global burden of mental disorders, non-communicable diseases and other age-related comorbidities. AIM: To assess the association between disability and depression among Peruvian older adults. METHODS: We used data from the 2017 Peru Demographic and Familiar Health Survey, with a focus on adults aged 50 years and older. Whereas the presence of disability was assessed using different questions of the survey, depression was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We calculated the adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) using Poisson regression models with log link function, with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: From the study population, 5% had a disability. In addition, 43.3% were screened positive for depression (13.2% for moderately severe/severe). After adjusting for confounding variables, disability was associated with moderate and severe depression (aPR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.01–1.11, aPR: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.05–1.15). CONCLUSION: Disability was positively associated with moderate and severe depression. Public health policies should address the early diagnosis and rehabilitation of patients with any of these problems. Likewise, coping strategies should be promoted among families of persons with disabilities.