Abrar Hussain Azad, Sadaf Hasan, Sadaf Jafar, Muhammad Afzal.
Prevalence of depression among elderly visiting outdoor patients department of Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi Pakistan.
Isra Med J Jan ;6(3):161-5.

OBJECTIVE: To determine prevalence of depression and to identify associated demographic characteristics among elderly. STUDY DESIGN: A cross sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION: The study was undertaken in Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi during a three months period from 1st October 2013 to 31st December 2013. METHODOLOGY: All the subjects, patients and their attendants of age 64 or above were included. A total of 209 males and females were selected by consecutive sampling technique. Questionnaire includes socio demographic profile and GDS, scale. Analysis was done by utilizing SPSS16. RESULTS: In the sample of 209 males and females depression was found to be prevalent among 28.71 %( n=60) .Males were 56.5 % (n=118) and females 43.5 %( n=91). Married were 47.3% (n=96) and single, separated or divorced were 18.3% (n=37), widows or widowers were 34.5%(n=70), nuclear family 33%(n=69) and joint family 67%(n=140), employed 25.1%(n=50) and unemployed 73.9%(n=147) Prevalence of depression was more common among females (49.4%) compared to males (12.7%), among unemployed (35.3%) compared to employed(12%) among those living in nuclear family (72.5%) compared to those living in joint family (28.4%) and among elderly with history of childhood parental loss (57.8%) compared to those without history of childhood parental loss (34.2%). Results depict that mean differences between the males and females, employed and unemployed, nuclear family and joint family for depression are significant. CONCLUSION: There is high prevalence of depression among elderly community and diversity exists in predisposing factors.

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