Prevalence of Depression among Geriatric Population Attending Primary Healthcare Settings in Al-Madinah

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of depression is higher among the geriatric population compared to the general population. Depression is associated with several adverse health outcomes including reduced quality of life, functional decline, increased health cost, and increased mortality. To estimate the rate and determinants of depression among the elderly population (aged 60 years or more) in Al Madinah city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among elderly patients (aged over 60 years) attending the primary healthcare centers inside AL-Medinah city, Saudi Arabia during the period (June-December, 2021). A self-administered questionnaire was utilized for data collection. It included four main sections; Personal and socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, clinical data and Arabic version of Geriatric Depressive Scale- Short form (GDS-SF).
Results: The study included 360 elderly patients. They equally distributed between males and females. Their age ranged between 61 and 88 years with a mean±SD of 70.8±4.7 years. The majority of the participating geriatric patients (96.7%) were depressed; mostly mild (54.4%) and moderate degrees (38.9%). Severe depression was observed among only 3.3% of the participants. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the only two significant factors for moderate/severe depression were participants` marital status and history of diabetes. Widowed persons were at almost triple risk for moderate/severe depression compared to married persons (Adjusted odds ratio “AOR”=2.82; 95% confidence interval “CI”=1.32-6.01), p=0.008. Diabetic patients were more likely to develop moderate/severe depression compared to those without diabetes (AOR=2.40, 95% CI=1.52-3.77), p<0.001.
Conclusions: Depression is a very prevalent health problem affecting geriatric patients attending primary healthcare centers in Al-Madinah. However, most cases are of mild or moderate severity.