@article{ref1,
title="Depression severity, but not cognitive impairment or frailty, is associated with disability in late-life depression",
journal="Clinical gerontologist",
year="2019",
author="Morin, Ruth T. and Insel, Philip and Bickford, David and Nelson, Craig and Mackin, R. Scott",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="<b>Objectives</b>: Assess the relationship of cognitive impairment to disability, accounting for depression severity and frailty, among older adults with late-life depression (LLD).<b>Methods</b>: Data were analyzed from 78 community-dwelling older adults with LLD and without dementia (age <i>M</i> = 71.9; <i>SD</i> = 6.1). Cognitive functioning was assessed using a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Depression severity was measured using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS; cutoff ≥15). Frailty was assessed using several motor tests. The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHO-DAS) measured disability status. A linear regression analysis was performed to identify relationships of cognition, frailty and depression severity with disability.<b>Results</b>: The average number of impaired cognitive tests was 2.0 (<i>SD</i> = 1.9), with 28.2% of participants showing no impaired scores. On average participants reported depression severity of 17.3 (<i>SD</i> = 3.6), and disability total score of 15.1 (<i>SD</i> = 6.9). The regression model accounted for 25.1% of the variance in disability, with only depression severity significantly predicting disability status. Burden of cognitive impairment and frailty were not predictive of disability in this sample.<b>Conclusions</b>: In this sample, only depression severity was associated with increased disability.<b>Clinical Implications</b>: These findings have implications for intervention in LLD, as depression severity may represent a more modifiable risk factor for disability.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0731-7115",
doi="10.1080/07317115.2019.1699882",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2019.1699882"
}