Long-term changes in mood of an aged population: repeated Zung-tests during a 10-year follow-up.
Associates and predictors of lowered mood were investigated in a 10-year prospective study of 411 random persons of three birth cohorts (aged 75, 80 and 85 years) in Helsinki, Finland. High Zung-score ( > 45 points = lowered mood) was found in 24% of subjects and clearly associated with age. Lowered mood was also associated with pessimistic attitudes towards life and impaired survival prognosis. The mean Zung-score fell drastically during the first follow-up (from 39.1 to 34.6 points, P < 0.001) and remained unchanged thereafter at 10-year examination of the survivors (33.9 points). Lowering mood (increase in Zung-score) was best predicted by low baseline Zung-score (r = -0.673, P < 0.001), high baseline MMSE-score (r = -159. P < 0.05) and simultaneous changes in MMSE-scores (r = 0.269, P < 0.01). The data show that lowered mood is associated with pessimistic attitudes towards life, cognitive impairment and impaired survival and that cognitive impairment exposes a patient to lowering mood. It is possible that a screening program improves the mood of aged population.
Pitkälä
K
K
Department of Medicine, Clinics of Geriatrics, Helsinki University Central Hospital, P.O. Box 340, FIN-00290 Helsinki, Finland.
Kähönen-Väre
M
M
Valvanne
J
J
Strandberg
T E
TE
Tilvis
R S
RS
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution