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Gender differences in the trajectories of late-life depressive symptomology and probable depression in the years prior to death

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2013

R. A. Burns ,
M. A. Luszcz ,
K. M. Kiely ,
P. Butterworth ,
C. Browning ,
P. Mitchell  and
K. J. Anstey
R. A. Burns*
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
M. A. Luszcz
Affiliation:
Flinders Centre for Ageing Studies and School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
K. M. Kiely
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
P. Butterworth
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
C. Browning
Affiliation:
School of Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
P. Mitchell
Affiliation:
Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Millennium Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
K. J. Anstey
Affiliation:
Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Richard Burns, Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Building 63, Eggleston Road, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia. Phone: +61-2-6125 3132; Fax: +61-2-6125 0733. Email: Richard.Burns@anu.edu.au.
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Abstract

Background:

Gender differences in depression are well established. Whether these differences persist into late life and in the years preceding death is less clear. There is a suggestion that there is no increased likelihood of depression in late life, but that there is an increase in depressive symptomology, particularly with proximity to death. We compared trajectories of probable depression and depressive symptomology between men and women over age and distance-to-death metrics to determine whether reports of depressive symptoms are more strongly related to age or mortality.

Methods:

Participants (N = 2,852) from the Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing (DYNOPTA) project had a mean age of 75 years (SD = 5.68 years) at baseline and were observed for up to 16 years prior to death. Multi-level regression models estimated change in depressive symptomology and probable depression over two time metrics, increasing age, and distance-to-death.

Results:

Increases in depressive symptomology were reported over increasing age and in the years approaching death. Only male participants reported increased probable depression in the years preceding death. Models that utilized distance-to-death metrics better represented changes in late-life depression, although any changes in depression appear to be accounted for by co-varying physical health status.

Conclusions:

As death approaches, there are increases in the levels of depressive symptomology even after controlling for socio-demographic and health covariates. In line with increases in suicide rates in late life, male participants were at greater risk of reporting increases in depressive symptomology.

Keywords

agingdepressionmortalityself-rated healthsub-syndromal depression
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 25 , Issue 11 , November 2013 , pp. 1765 - 1773
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2013 

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