TY - JOUR PY - 2019// TI - Depressive symptoms in elderly Chinese primary care patients: prevalence and sociodemographic and clinical correlates JO - Journal of geriatric psychiatry and neurology A1 - Zhong, Bao-Liang A1 - Xu, Yan-Min A1 - Xie, Wu-Xiang A1 - Liu, Xiu-Jun A1 - Huang, Zhuo-Wei SP - 312 EP - 318 VL - 32 IS - 6 N2 - OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms (depression thereafter) and to identify the sociodemographic and clinical correlates of depression in a sample of elderly patients treated in the primary care setting in Wuhan, China.

BACKGROUND: Primary care is an opportune setting for the management of late-life depression in China, but there have been no representative studies on the clinical epidemiology of depression in elderly Chinese primary care patients.

METHODS: In total, 752 elderly patients (≥ 65 years) were consecutively recruited from 13 primary care centers in Wuhan, China, and interviewed with a standardized questionnaire. Depression was assessed with the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15).

RESULTS: Of the elderly Chinese primary care patients, 30.6% had depression (GDS-15 ≥ 5). Correlates of depression were an education level of primary school or less (odds ratio [OR]: 1.94, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.36-2.77, P <.001), poor financial status (OR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.16-4.15, P =.016), lack of an exercise habit (OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.06-1.74, P =.023), 2 or more chronic medical conditions (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.34-2.69, P <.001), and loneliness (OR: 3.53, 95% CI: 2.46-5.08, P <.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Depression is prevalent among elderly Chinese primary care patients, indicating that elderly patients treated in primary care have a high level of need for mental health services in China. There is an urgent need to integrate mental health services into primary health care.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0891-9887 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0891988719862620 ID - ref1 ER -