title: Depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment and functional impairment in a rural elderly population in India: a Hindi version of the geriatric depression scale (GDS-H).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure depressive symptomatology in a largely illiterate elderly population in India, using a new Hindi version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-H), and to examine its distribution and associations with age, gender, literacy, cognitive impairment and functional impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Hindi version of the Geriatric Depression Scale was developed and administered to participants along with measures of demographic characteristics, cognitive functioning and functional ability.
  
  
  METHODS
  The rural community of Ballabgarh in northern India.
  
  
  METHODS
  A community sample of 1554 mostly illiterate Hindi-speaking residents of Ballabgarh aged 55+.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Hindi version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-H); the Hindi Mental State Exam (HMSE); the Everyday Abilities Scale for India (EASI); age, gender and literacy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The GDS-H had high internal consistency and a factor structure comparable to the original English language version. The overall distribution of scores was higher than reported from other populations. Greater numbers of depressive symptoms, as measured by higher scores on the GDS-H, were associated with older age and illiteracy. Among the illiterate, there was no gender difference while among the literate, higher GDS-H scores were found among women. Cognitive impairment and functional disability were independently associated with higher scores on the GDS-H after adjustment for age, gender and literacy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A reliable and valid Hindi version of the GDS has been developed. Depressive symptoms as measured by the GDS-H were prominent in this elderly illiterate northern Indian population and strongly associated with both cognitive and functional impairment.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Pittsburgh, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ganguli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dube
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pandav
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Chandra
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Dodge
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012424:Rural Population; D012720:Severity of Illness Index