A longitudinal study of depression in old age I: outcome and relationship to social networks

Abstract

Objectives: To ascertain the relationship between social network type and depression over time.Method: A longitudinal outcome study of depressed elderly patients attending an old age psychiatric service was carried out. Subjects were seen at baseline and regular intervals over two years.Results: Depression severity at baseline and at follow-up times differed according to subjects' social network. Those with more socially integrated networks had the best outcome and those who had more dependent networks had a poorer outcome. There was a lot of movement between networks over time for subjects, with many moving towards more dependent networks.Conclusions: When treating depression in the elderly it is important to consider the social network and milieu in which the patient resides. Treatments should include strategies encouraging the maintenance and formation of social integration.

The impact of social isolation on the health status and health-related quality of life of older people

“…Despite recognition of the potential impact of social isolation on the quality of life of older people, and the drive for interventions to tackle it, the influence of social isolation on health status/HRQL is poorly understood [2]. Previous work has considered these relationships, but often descriptively, or in terms of what may be related to social isolation, rather than the likely effects of social isolation itself [1,14,15].…”

“…The impact of social isolation, generally defined as the absence of contact with other people [1], is a key factor when exploring the influence of the social environment on people's quality of life [2,3]. Social isolation is consistently related to a negative impact on health and well-being [2,[4][5][6], and there is growing evidence of the effects of social isolation in older people [1,7,8].…”

“…Social isolation is consistently related to a negative impact on health and well-being [2,[4][5][6], and there is growing evidence of the effects of social isolation in older people [1,7,8]. As the proportion of older people in the population increases [9], more are at risk of social isolation [10].…”

“…There is an increasing awareness of the challenges of an ageing society, and the impact of social isolation in older people is becoming one of the most important social, political and health care priorities. Yet, research to date has been mainly descriptive, and the independent effect of social isolation on health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) has not been considered [2,[4][5][6]. There is a need for further research to explore the relationship between social isolation and HRQL and to inform the development and evaluation of interventions to address social isolation.…”

Identifying requirements and features for communications systems between older people in care settings

“…Those with low levels of social integration are more likely to be depressed than those with high levels [3]. Furthermore, remaining in contact with existing friends and family can reduce the emotional stress of major life events in old age, such as moving into care [4].…”