Research Article

Screening for depression in elderly medical inpatients from rural area of Norway: prevalence and associated factors

  1. Anne-Sofie Helvik1,2,3,*,
  2. Randi H. Skancke2,
  3. Geir Selbæk4,5

Article first published online: 23 JUN 2009

DOI: 10.1002/gps.2312

Issue

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

Volume 25, Issue 2, pages 150–159, February 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Helvik, A.-S., Skancke, R. H. and Selbæk, G. (2010), Screening for depression in elderly medical inpatients from rural area of Norway: prevalence and associated factors. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25: 150–159. doi: 10.1002/gps.2312

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway

  2. 2

    Innlandet Hospital Trust, Division Tynset, Norway

  3. 3

    St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway

  4. 4

    Research Centre for Old Age Psychiatric Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Ottestad, Norway

  5. 5

    The Norwegian Centre for Dementia Research, Ullevaal University Hospital, Oslo, Norway

*Department of Public Health and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 18 JAN 2010
  2. Article first published online: 23 JUN 2009
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 8 APR 2009
  4. Manuscript Received: 10 FEB 2009

Funded by

  • The Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services
  • Innlandet Hospital Trust
  • Josef og Haldis Andresen's legate

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Keywords:

  • screening;
  • depressive symptoms;
  • prevalence;
  • HAD;
  • MADRS;
  • inpatients

Abstract

Aim

The present investigation screened for depression in order to assess the prevalence of depression and to study the associated factors with depression in elderly medically hospitalised patients from a rural area in Norway.

Methods

A cross-sectional study evaluated 484 (243 women) elderly medical inpatients with age range 65–101 (mean 80.7) years between September 2006 and August 2008 and used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Mini-Mental State Examination, Lawton and Brody's scale for self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living.

Results

The prevalence of current depression, depression score ≥8 at HAD, was for the total sample 10% of whom 78% was previously not diagnosed as having depression. The odds for depression were decreased for women aged 80 years or more while for men at the same age strata it was increased threefold. Age adjusted logistic regression analyses demonstrated an increased odds for depression for those who were in need of nursing assistance before hospitalisation, had lower level of physical functioning, had clinical anxiety symptoms and had higher number of medicaments at inclusion time.

Conclusion

The prevalence of depression in medical hospitalised elderly from rural areas was lower than in most other hospital studies. However, most patients with depression were not previously recognised as being depressed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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