Depression among ethnic minority elderly in the Central Highlands, Vietnam

Nguyen Hoang Lan; Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy

doi:10.1177/2055102920967236

Depression among ethnic minority elderly in the Central Highlands, Vietnam

Health Psychol Open. 2020 Oct 20;7(2):2055102920967236. doi: 10.1177/2055102920967236. eCollection 2020 Jul-Dec.

Authors

Nguyen Hoang Lan¹, Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy²

Affiliations

¹ University of Medicine & Pharmacy, Hue University, Vietnam.
² Center for Quality Control of Drug, Cosmetics and Food of Kon Tum Province, Vietnam.

Abstract

This cross-sectional study is to examine the prevalence of depression and associated factors among 110 ethnic minority elderly in Kon Tum city, Vietnam. Depression was assessed using 30-items Geriatric Depression Scale. Multivariate linear regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with depression. The prevalence of depression among participants was 25.5%. All were classified as mild depression level. Depression was significantly associated with age, gender, educational level, chronic diseases, stressful life events in the past 12 months, and family history of depression. These risk factors can help formulate effective public health programs to improve mental health among ethnic minority elderly.

Keywords: Geriatric Depression Scale; Vietnam; depression; elderly; ethnic minority.