Prevalence and factors associated with probable depression among the oldest old during the Covid-19 pandemic: evidence from the large, nationally representative 'Old Age in Germany (D80+)' study

André Hajek; Hans-Helmut König; Angelina R Sutin; Antonio Terracciano; Martina Luchetti; Yannick Stephan; Razak M Gyasi

doi:10.1111/psyg.13129

Prevalence and factors associated with probable depression among the oldest old during the Covid-19 pandemic: evidence from the large, nationally representative 'Old Age in Germany (D80+)' study

Psychogeriatrics. 2024 May 3. doi: 10.1111/psyg.13129. Online ahead of print.

Authors

André Hajek¹, Hans-Helmut König¹, Angelina R Sutin², Antonio Terracciano², Martina Luchetti², Yannick Stephan³, Razak M Gyasi^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Hamburg, Germany.
² College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
³ Euromov, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
⁴ African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
⁵ National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 38699978
DOI: 10.1111/psyg.13129

Abstract

Background: To date, most studies examining the prevalence and determinants of depression among individuals aged 80 and over have used geographically limited samples that are not generalisable to the wider population. Thus, our aim was to identify the prevalence and the factors associated with probable depression among the oldest old in Germany based on nationally representative data.

Methods: Data were taken from the nationally representative 'Old Age in Germany (D80+)' study (n = 8386; November 2020 to April 2021) covering both community-dwelling and institutionalised individuals aged 80 and over. The Short Form of the Depression in Old Age Scale was used to quantify probable depression.

Results: Probable depression was found in 40.7% (95% CI: 39.5% to 42.0%) of the sample; 31.3% were men (95% CI: 29.7% to 32.9%) and 46.6% women (95% CI: 44.9% to 48.3%). The odds of probable depression were positively associated with being female (odds ratio (OR): 1.55, 95% CI: 1.30 to 1.84), being divorced (compared to being married, OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.76), being widowed (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.30), having a low education (e.g., medium education compared to low education, OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.74 to 0.99), living in an institutionalised setting (OR: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.84 to 3.02), living in East Germany (OR: 1.21, 95% CI, 1.05 to 1.39), not having German citizenship (German citizenship compared to other citizenship, OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.95), poor self-rated health (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.34), and the number of chronic conditions (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.14).

Conclusion: About four out of 10 individuals aged 80 and over in Germany had probable depression, underlining the importance of this challenge. Knowledge of specific risk factors for this age group may assist in addressing older adults at risk of probable depression.

Keywords: aged, 80 and above; depression; institutionalization; mental health; migration; morbidity; oldest old; self‐rated health; spousal loss.