Depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment predict all-cause mortality in long-term care residents.
This study investigated whether symptoms of depression and cognitive dysfunction predicted all-cause mortality in long-term care (LTC) residents at 12 months after admission. Participants were 171 adults with a mean age of 77 in an urban LTC setting (51% African American and 49% European American). The Geriatric Depression Scale and the Dementia Rating Scale, Second Edition (DRS-2), were administered upon admission, and demographic variables and the Charlson Comorbidity Index were also recorded. Cox regression analyses found that increased depressive symptoms, lower performance on the DRS-2, and European American ethnicity were significant predictors of all-cause mortality. The overall results suggest that the combination of cognitive dysfunction and depressive symptoms can increase the chances of 12-month, all-cause mortality in LTC settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
Kane
Katherine D
KD
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150, USA. kkane3@uccs.edu
Yochim
Brian P
BP
Lichtenberg
Peter A
PA
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*