Patterns of Chronic Medical Conditions and Depressive Illness Distribution Among Elderly Patients in a Community of SouthSouth Nigeria

Abstract

Aging is a natural process with physical, organic and psychological changes. The aged are faced with challenges of disability, functional limitation, chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension and mental health disorders. Depression is not a normal part of aging; it is a true and treatable medical condition. Healthcare providers may mistake an older adult's symptoms of depression as just a natural reaction to illness or the life changes that may occur as they age and therefore not see the depression as something to be treated. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between chronic medical conditions and depression in a community in South-South Nigeria. This study was a hospital based descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted in Eku Baptist Hospital in Delta State. The study instruments were Questionnaires which included socio-demographic variable, a validated tool (Geriatric Depression Scale SF-15), medical history and physical examination. Data was collated and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS-21). Test of association was done using Pearson's chi square (or Fisher's exact test). The level of significance was set at 5% (p<0.05). The participants were largely females (64.1%) and their mean age was 69.7±6.7 years. The data showed a higher proportion 82(50.9%) of respondents with a chronic medical condition had depression and 79(49.1%) had no depression compared to respondents without chronic medical condition, of which 20(44.9%) had depression and 25(55.6%) had no depression. The relationship between chronic medical condition and depression status of respondents was however not statistically significant (p=0.501). This study showed that chronic medical conditions in the elderly are common and many of these individuals were depressed as well.