Prevalence of Depression Among Community Dwelling Elderly in Karachi, Pakistan

Objective: The objectives of the study were to find out the prevalence of depression and to identify associated risk factors among community dwelling elderly in Karachi. Methods: It was a cross-sectional, descriptive study involving 284 community-dwelling elderly residing in Karachi, Pakistan. A non-probability convenience sampling was done. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) was used to assess depression. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS version 12. Cross tabulation for different variables was done and Chi-square was used as test of significance. The level of significance was set as p < 0.05. An informal (verbal) consent was taken. Anonymity and confidentiality was assured. Results: Among 284 respondents, 74% were males while 26% were females. The mean age was 68.44 +/- 7.59 years. The study found that 16.5% respondents were depressed while 23.6% were suggestive of depression. Depression was more among men than in women. Depression was statistically significant among married respondents (p<0.05) and illiterate (p<0.001). Although a large proportion of the participants were satisfied with their income, this was statistically significant (p<0.001) for depression among those who were not satisfied with their income. Similarly, sleep was significantly disturbed (p<0.001) among the depressed respondents. Conclusion: A significant prevalence of geriatric depression was reported. In order to reduce its prevalence, general physicians and other health care professionals need to be sensitized about geriatric depression and its risk factors.