Depression and its associated factors among the older adults in rural, Tamilnadu, India

Abstract Background Depression is a significant public health concern, especially among older adults due to its distressing morbidity and mortality rate. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depression and the associated risk factors among older adults (age ≥ 60 years) in Tamilnadu, India. Materials and methods A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from July 2016 to May 2018 among the older adults in the rural area of three districts of Tamil Nadu, India. Geriatric Depression Scale item 15 (GDS-15) was used to assess depression with face to face interviews from 7200 participants. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analysis were employed. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval was used to calculate the significance. Results Prevalence of depression among older adults were found to be 67.5% (95% CI-0.66–0.68). The multivariable logistic regression model revealed that older adults above 80 years (OR = 1.91; CI = 0.885–1.344), female sex (OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.803–0.982), widow (OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.77–1.00), living with children (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.77–0.97), lack of family support (OR = 1.48; CI = 1.321–1.638), and physically dependent (OR = 1.01; CI = 0.88–1.15) were associated with depression among older adults. Additional to this, people with diabetes (OR = 1.15; CI = 1.007–1.33), and with the history of fall (OR = 1.28; CI = 1.017–1.620) also associated with the depression. Conclusion Prevalence of depression among the elderly population is reported to be high in this study. Screening the elderly for depression at the primary care level helps in early detection of depression. This suggests the need for community-based interventions for effective management of older adults with chronic diseases.