Relationship between late-life depression and life stressors: Large-scale cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the Japanese general population

Authors: Kaji, Tatsuhiko; Mishima, Kazuo¹; Kitamura, Shingo¹; Enomoto, Minori¹; Nagase, Yukihiro; Li, Lan¹; Kaneita, Yoshitaka²; Ohida, Takashi²; Nishikawa, Toru³; Uchiyama, Makoto⁴

Source: Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Volume 64, Number 4, 1 August 2010 , pp. 426-434(9)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

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Abstract:

Aim: The purpose of the present study was to clarify the relationship between late-life depression and daily life stress in a representative sample of 10 969 Japanese subjects.

Methods: Data on 10 969 adults aged ≥50 who participated in the Active Survey of Health and Welfare in 2000, were analyzed. The self-administered questionnaire included items on 21 reasons for life stressors and the magnitude of stress, as well as the Japanese version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The relationship between the incidence of life stressors and mild-moderate (D₁₆) and severe (D₂₆) depressive symptoms was examined using logistic regression analysis.

Results: A total of 21.9% of subjects had D₁₆ symptoms, and 9.3% had D₂₆ symptoms. Further, increased age and being female were associated with more severe depressive state. Logistic regression analysis indicated that the strongest relationship between both the incidence of D₁₆ and D₂₆ symptoms and life stressors stemmed from `having no one to talk to' (odds ratio = 3.3 and 5.0, respectively). Late-life depression was also associated with `loss of purpose in life', `separation/divorce', `having nothing to do', `health/illness/care of self', and `debt'.

Conclusion: There is a relationship between late-life depression and diminished social relationships, experiences involving loss of purpose in life or human relationships, and health problems in the Japanese general population.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1819.2010.02097.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, 2: Division of Public Health, Department of Social Medicine, and 3: Section of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School, Tokyo, Japan 4: Department of Psychiatry, Nihon University School of Medicine and

Publication date: 2010-08-01

Relationship between late-life depression and life stressors: Large-scale cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the Japanese general population

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