title: Does a single-item measure of depression predict mortality?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if a single-item measure of depression predicts mortality over 5 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary analysis of a population-based cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Province of Manitoba.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 1751 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or older.
  
  
  METHODS
  Self-reported depression; age, sex, education, functional status, and cognition; death over 5 years. Depression was measured with 1 item drawn from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale: "I felt depressed." Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Those with self-reported depression had a 5-year mortality of 30.2% versus 19.7% in those without self-reported depression (P < .001, chi2). This association persisted after adjustment for age, sex, education, functional status, and cognition: adjusted odds ratio for mortality 1.35 (95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.76). Among those with cognitive impairment, however, neither the CES-D scale nor the single-item measure predicted mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A simple measure of depression drawn from the CES-D predicts mortality among cognitively intact community-dwelling older adults, but not among cognitively impaired older adults. Further study is needed in order to determine the usefulness of this question in clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Section of Geriatrics, University of Manitoba, GG 441 Health Sciences Centre, 820 Sherbrook St, Winnipeg, MB R3A 1R9, Canada. pstjohn@hsc.mb.ca
authors.forename: Philip Donald
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: St John
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Montgomery
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008350:Manitoba / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales