Jikun Wang1, Xudong Zhao. 1. Department of Psychiatry, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China. liwangjk@gmail.com
Abstract
PURPOSE: Geriatric depression is now very common and leads to significant economic costs and family burden in China. Families with a depressed patient often report problematic family functioning in Western samples, and lack of social support is strongly associated with geriatric depression. However, the relationship between geriatric depression, family functioning and social support in mainland China has not been well studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study compared family functioning and social support in a Chinese sample of elderly patients with major depression and non-depressed elderly people, and evaluated the impact of family functioning, social support and socio-demographic factors on depression. A questionnaire was administered to 102 elderly patients with major depression and 107 non-depressed elderly people. RESULTS: The elderly patients with major depression had worse family functioning and lower social support than elderly individuals without depression. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed associations between depressive symptoms and unhealthy family functioning, lower social support and single marital status. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that family interventions and improvement of social support are important in reducing depression among elderly patients. In addition, strategies to alleviate geriatric depression should be considered by the whole society, the community, family members and the depressed elderly patients themselves.
PURPOSE: Geriatric depression is now very common and leads to significant economic costs and family burden in China. Families with a depressedpatient often report problematic family functioning in Western samples, and lack of social support is strongly associated with geriatric depression. However, the relationship between geriatric depression, family functioning and social support in mainland China has not been well studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study compared family functioning and social support in a Chinese sample of elderly patients with major depression and non-depressed elderly people, and evaluated the impact of family functioning, social support and socio-demographic factors on depression. A questionnaire was administered to 102 elderly patients with major depression and 107 non-depressed elderly people. RESULTS: The elderly patients with major depression had worse family functioning and lower social support than elderly individuals without depression. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed associations between depressive symptoms and unhealthy family functioning, lower social support and single marital status. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that family interventions and improvement of social support are important in reducing depression among elderly patients. In addition, strategies to alleviate geriatric depression should be considered by the whole society, the community, family members and the depressed elderly patients themselves.
Authors: Aurigena Antunes de Araújo; Rosa Angélica Silveira Rebouças Barbosa; Marília Stefani Souza de Menezes; Ingrid Iana Fernandes de Medeiros; Raimundo Fernandes de Araújo; Caroline Addison Carvalho Xavier de Medeiros Journal: Psychiatr Q Date: 2016-06
Authors: Zheng Tan; Kevin Ka-Lun Lau; Adam Charles Roberts; Stessa Tzu-Yuan Chao; Edward Ng Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-11-12 Impact factor: 3.390