title: Prevalence of depressive symptoms and related risk factors for depressive symptoms among elderly persons living in a rural Japanese community: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: To clarify the prevalence of depression in a rural community in Japan and to evaluate the social and familial risk factors for depression, with the goal of suicide prevention, a questionnaire survey was conducted on a total of 2,763 elderly persons. The determined prevalence of depressive symptoms (Zung's self-rated depression scale score of 50 points or more) was 10.4%. Logistic regression analysis showed associations between depressive symptoms and age, absence of a friendly companion, irritation with one's family, frequent loneliness, the opinion that stress has a large impact on one's life, suicide ideation, and poor subjective physical and mental health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Akita University School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, 010-8543, Japan. kaneko@med.akita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kaneko
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Motohashi
authors.forename: Hisanaga
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamaji
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008132:Loneliness; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000092864:Suicide Prevention