Relationship between Depression and Cognitive Impairment among Elderly: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Depression and cognitive impairment are common mental health problems among elderly, although few studies have examined their co-occurrence in aging population. So the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between depression and cognitive impairment in older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study was conducted on 506 older adults were presented to the health centers of the municipality of Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using the sociodemographic questionnaire, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Data were analyzed by using SPSS-17 with correlation analysis and logistic regression.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 65.71 years. Older people (> 75 years) had more twice risk (95% CI 1.01- 4.90) for cognitive dysfunction. There was a significant correlation between MMSE and GDS. Elderly with collegiate education had 85% (95% CI 0.1- 0.5) and employed elderly had 56% (95% CI 0.04- 0.74) lower risk for cognitive dysfunction. Elderly with severe depression had twice risk (95% CI 1.41- 4.8) for cognitive dysfunction.

Conclusion: Findings suggest there is a relationship between depression and cognitive impairment among the elderly. These findings emphasis on assessing cognitive impairment and depression in geriatric assessment in elderly.