Association between social support and depression in the elderly Japanese population

Abstract

To determine the association between social support and depression in elderly Japanese, we conducted a Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment among residents aged 70 years or over. Out of 2,730 eligible subjects, 1,179 participated in the survey and 1,146 (480 men and 666 women) were analyzed. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to estimate depression status. The subjects were divided into two groups: depressive (GDS>11 or taking antidepressant drugs) and non-depressive (GDS<11). Various levels of social support were assessed by the following questions: Do you have someone (1) whom you can consult when you are in trouble ? (2) whom you can consult when your physical condition is not good ? (3) who can help you in daily housework ? (4) who can take you to a hospital when you don't feel well ? (5) who can take care of you when you are ill in bed? In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the calculated odds ratios (95% CIs) for the lack of each type of social support for depression status were: (1) 2.5 (1.5-4.1),(2) 1.9 (1.1-3.2),(3) 2.7 (1.7-4.4),(4) 1.9 (1.1-3.2),(5) 2.8 (1.6-4.9) in men, and (1) 1.2 (0.8-1.8),(2) 1.2 (0.8-1.8),(3) 1.4 (1.0-2.0),(4) 1.6 (1.1-2.3),(5) 2.0 (1.4-2.9) in women. A significant association was found between social support and depression in this elderly population. We also found that this association was stronger in men.

Factors Associated With Psychological Distress in a Community-Dwelling Japanese Population: The Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study

“…Koizumi et al reported that negative responses to the questions “Do you have someone with whom you can consult when you are in trouble?” and “Do you have someone who can take care of you when you are ill in bed?” were significantly associated with an increase in the risk of depression. 23 , 24 The finding is consistent with, and supports, the present results for persons aged 65 years or older. The depressive symptoms detected by the GDS and the psychological distress detected by the K6 reflect common underlying factors.…”

“…Although this is the first large population-based epidemiological study using the K6 in an Asian country, previous studies 23 , 24 have used other mental health scales, such as the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) 25 among Japanese populations. Koizumi et al reported that negative responses to the questions “Do you have someone with whom you can consult when you are in trouble?” and “Do you have someone who can take care of you when you are ill in bed?” were significantly associated with an increase in the risk of depression.…”

Home Blood Pressure Is Associated with Depressive Symptoms in an Elderly Population Aged 70 Years and Over: A Population-Based, Cross-Sectional Analysis

“…These questions were extracted from a previous study regarding social support and elderly depression in a rural community (33). A strong association between negative answers to these items and depression has been confirmed in two Japanese community studies of elderly populations (33,34). A single summed score was calculated based on the PSS 1-5.…”

Obesity and depressive symptoms in elderly Japanese: The Tsurugaya Project

“…Older adults with chronic medical conditions [25 -27], physical impairment [25,27,28], or insufficient social support [28,29] are more likely to be depressed, and such characteristics might also affect body weight. Thus, careful consideration of these potential important confounding or effect modifying factors is needed when analyzing the data.…”