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. 2024 Aug 16;16(8):e66987.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.66987. eCollection 2024 Aug.

Unraveling the Tapestry of Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rohankumar Gandhi  1 , Ilesh Kotecha  1 , Kaushikkumar R Damor  2 , Yogesh Murugan  3
Affiliations

Unraveling the Tapestry of Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rohankumar Gandhi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: An often-occurring and severely disabling mental illness that mostly affects older people living in urban slums is depression. Developing successful therapies requires an understanding of the complex interactions between the different factors that contribute to depression in this susceptible population.

Objectives: This study aimed to find the prevalence of depression and identify the factors associated with depression in the geriatric population aged ≥60 years in the study area during the study period in Gujarat, India.

Methods: This study was carried out among 450 participants aged ≥60 years. Face-to-face interviews and standardized assessment tools, including the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for depression and the Mini-Cog test for cognitive impairment, were used to collect data on depression levels, sociodemographic characteristics, behavioral factors, medical conditions, life events, and psychiatric history. Statistical analyses, including chi-squared tests, were performed to assess the associations.

Results: Significant associations were found between various factors and depression levels, which were lower education (11.11% severe depression among non-literate vs. 2.11% among literate, p<0.001) and widowhood (11.56% severe depression among widowed vs. 4.53% among married, p<0.001), which were linked to higher depression severity. Behavioral risk factors like short sleep duration (<6 hours at night: 21.71% severe depression, p<0.001), tobacco snuffing (16.24% severe depression, p<0.001), and lack of physical activity (28.71% severe depression, p<0.001) were strongly associated with increased depression. Medical conditions such as hypertension (10.36% severe depression, p<0.001) and stressful life events like family conflicts (16.67% severe depression, p<0.001) exhibited strong associations. A personal history of depression (38.82% severe depression, p<0.001) was a potent predictor.

Conclusions: The study highlights the multifaceted nature of depression in the geriatric population of the study area, underscoring the necessity of all-encompassing measures to tackle the recognized possible risk factors. The results provide valuable insights for developing targeted prevention strategies, healthcare policies, and support systems to enhance the mental well-being of this vulnerable population.

Keywords: depression; elderly; mental health; risk factors; sociodemographic factors; urban slums.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Institutional Ethics Committee of Shri Meghaji Pethraj (MP) Shah Government Medical College and Guru Gobind Singh Government Hospital, Jamnagar issued approval 123/05/2021. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

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