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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Prevalence and correlates of depression among Saudi elderly | | Author(s) | Sulaiman A Al-Shammari, Abdullah Al-Subaie |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 14, no 9, September 1999 |
| Pages | pp 739-747 |
| Keywords | Depression ; Screening ; Evaluation ; Cross sectional surveys ; Saudi Arabia. |
| Annotation | A cross-sectional national survey of 7970 older people in Saudi Arabia was conducted during 1994 and 1995, of whom 3110 (39%) reported depressive symptoms (8.4% with severe depressive symptoms). Personal characteristics strongly correlating with depression were: poor education; unemployment; divorced or widowed status; and old age and being a female. Living in a remote rural area and poor housing conditions were also significantly associated with high depressive symptoms. Limited privacy, such as having a particular room specified for older people, was also associated with more depressive symptoms than sharing a room with another person. Lower incomes, the number of medical diagnoses and medications received, loss of a close relative, living alone, limited participation in recreational activities, perception of poor health, and dependence on others for activities of daily living (ADLs). Depressive symptoms are common among Saudi older people, and detection and management rates were low. Primary care teams could help these patients if properly trained. A simple instrument such as the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is useful and easily administered. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-000114206 A |
| Classmark | ENR: 3V: 4C: 3KB: 7EA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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