Risk Factors for Depression in Long-term Care: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

Objectives: Depression among older adults in long-term care remains a problem, despite the uptake of antidepressants and the development of intervention programs. A better understanding of the risk factors for depression is much needed. Guided by a systematic assessment of the evidence, this prospective observational cohort study sought to clarify existing evidence, identify modifiable risk factors and explore novel variables. Methods: Adults aged ≥65 (T1 n=147, T2 n= 81) were recruited from 15 long-term-care facilities in Melbourne, Australia. Cognitive impairment, functional impairment, pain, sleep disturbance, social support, and person-environment fit were investigated as risk factors. Outcomes were depressive symptoms and indicated Major Depressive Episode. Results: Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) identified that changes in pain (b= 0.06, p<.05), sleep disturbance (b= 0.02, p< .001), social support (b= -0.02, p< .001) and person-environment fit (b= -0.02, p= <.01) were significantly associated with changes in depression score. Conclusions: Pain, sleep disturbance, social support, and person-environment fit are modifiable risk factors, making them strongly positioned to strategically inform prevention and intervention strategies. Clinical Implications: Individuals with clinically significant symptoms on these risk factors for depression should be selected for interventions that target these risk factors. For depressed individuals, psychotherapy should prioritize the potential role of these risk factors. Finally, these risk factors should be used as screening and monitoring variables: clinically significant changes in symptoms warrant investigation.

Risk Factors for Depression in Long-Term Care: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: Depression rates are substantially higher among older adults in long-term care when compared with older adults in the community. Furthermore, the needs of older adults in long-term care are increasingly complex, and risk factors that contribute to depression in this population are unclear. This limits not only the identification of those at risk for depression but also the development of therapeutic interventions. This review summarizes the evidence on risk factors for depression. METHODS: Searches were performed using CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Ovid Medline, PsycINFO and Scopus for research published 1980-2017. Data were reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. RESULTS: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, representing a total of 11,703 participants, with a mean sample size of 1,064. The most consistently supported risk factor was cognitive impairment, followed by functional impairment and baseline depression score. CONCLUSIONS: The studies lacked a systematic approach to investigating risk factors for depression, and the research remains largely atheoretical. Few risk factors were consistently studied, with over 20 risk factors examined no more than once each. Psychological and environmental risk factors, which may be modifiable and have the potential to inform therapeutic interventions and preventative strategies, remain under-studied. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The most consistently supported risk factors-cognitive impairment, functional disability and baseline depression score-have the potential to inform screening protocols and should be monitored longitudinally. When developing psychotherapeutic interventions, close consideration should be given to cognitive and functional impairment as barriers to implementation and uptake.

Risk indicators for depression in aged care: The contribution of a meaningful life, mastery and environmental fit.

OBJECTIVES: Depression is a pernicious, growing problem in the aged care population. Knowledge about the risk factors for depression focuses on unchangeable, medical factors; therefore, a deeper, systematic understanding of modifiable psychological risk indicators is needed. METHODS: This secondary analysis used data from an observational cohort study (T1, n = 147; T2, n = 81) of adults aged ≥65 years recruited from 15 aged care facilities in Melbourne, Australia. Meaningful existence, mastery, social support and person-environment fit were investigated as risk indicators. RESULTS: Generalised estimating equation analysis identified that changes in meaningful existence (b = -0.06, P < .05), mastery (b = -0.05, P < .05) and person-environment fit (b = -0.02, P < .05) were significantly associated with change in depression score. These remained significant controlling for socio-demographic variables, cognitive impairment and functional impairment. CONCLUSION: Because these psychological risk factors-meaningful existence, mastery and person-environment fit-are suitable therapeutic targets, they are well positioned to inform prevention and intervention programs.