Lifestyle factors and the course of depression in older adults: A NESDO study

Abstract

ObjectivesTo investigate whether lifestyle indicators including physical exercise, sleep duration, alcohol use, body mass index, smoking status, and a composite lifestyle index are associated with the depression course in older adults.MethodsData of 283 older adults were used from the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older Persons. Depressive disorders at baseline were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The depression course at 2‐year follow‐up was assessed with the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (IDS, score 0–84) every 6 months; physical exercise with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire; alcohol use with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; body mass index by anthropometry; and sleep duration and smoking status by interview questions. A composite lifestyle index was calculated by summing scores assigned to each lifestyle factor, with a higher score indicating healthier behavior.ResultsOf all participants, 61.1% had chronic depression (all IDS scores 14–84), 20.1% had intermittent depression (1 IDS score ≤ 14), and 18.7% remitted depression (last 2 IDS scores ≤14). None of the investigated lifestyle indicators, nor the composite lifestyle index was associated with depression course, after adjustment for covariates.ConclusionsLifestyle factors do not predict the course of depression at 2‐year follow‐up in older adults.

Trajectories of major depression in middle‐aged and older adults: A population‐based study

“…Consistent with reports from previous studies, our findings suggest that the natural course of major depression in late life is chronic and unremitting. In a sample of older Dutch adults where 71% met diagnostic criteria for major depression at baseline, over half of the study sample still had major depression at 2‐year follow‐up .…”

“…Consistent with reports from previous studies, our findings suggest that the natural course of major depression in late life is chronic and unremitting. In a sample of older Dutch adults where 71% met diagnostic criteria for major depression at baseline, over half of the study sample still had major depression at 2‐year follow‐up . A study of older psychiatric outpatients with depression diagnosis in Brooklyn, New York, reported even more dire outcomes: On follow‐up interviews that ranged from 13 to 52 months, 85% of persons with subclinical depression at baseline, 90% of persons with clinical depression at baseline, and 62% of persons in remission at baseline were depressed …”

“…Most middle‐aged and older adults did not have major depression during the 8 years of follow‐ups, while nearly 15% had elevated risk for a 12‐month MDE during the study period. In line with previous studies, few predictors significantly distinguished between trajectory groups. Baseline depressive symptom severity was a strong predictor of trajectories with small to high burden of depression, in line with previous studies linking severity of index episode to persistent depression .…”

Factors influencing self-management of depression in older adults: a qualitative study

“…It often produces adverse effects such as physical illness, a decline in functioning and loss of independence, and greater self-neglect (Blackburn, Wilkins-Ho, & Wiese, 2017;Law, Laidlaw, & Peck, 2010). It frequently follows a more chronic course, with higher relapse rates, than depression earlier in life (Bruin, Comijs, Kok, Van der Mast, & Van den Berg, 2018;Mitchell, Rao, & Vaze, 2011) and is associated with greater risk of death by suicide (Draper, 2014;Webb, Cui, Titus, Fiske, & Nadorff, 2018). Globally, older adults with depression visit general practitioners (GP) and hospital emergency departments more frequently, use more medication, stay longer in hospital and incur higher outpatient charges (Arias et al, 2017;Vasiliadis et al, 2013).…”

Association between social network characteristics and depressive symptoms in South Korean adults: The moderating roles of age diversity and age difference

“…Both social network size and intimacy were classi ed into quartiles based on a previous study [39]. Statistical modeling and adjusted variables were selected based on prior work, which related to social network status or depression: Statistical modeling and adjusted variables were selected based on prior work, which related to social network status or depression: (1) adjusted for age, gender, and menopause status [40]; (2) additionally adjusted for marital status, education, and income status [41]; (3) additionally adjusted for number of comorbidities, smoking, alcohol intake, and physical activity [42]; and (4) adjusted for social network size or intimacy [4]. We reported results as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% con dence intervals (CIs), and indicate a p-for trend to con rm dose-response.…”