Prevalence of depression among institutionalized and non-institutionalized Filipino elderly

ABSTRACT

Objective: To determine if there is a significant difference between the prevalence of depression in institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly individuals. Methodology: Sixty female individuals 65 years and above were included in the study, thirty from the community while the other thirty reside in an institution for the elderly. The Mini Mental Status Examination was used to establish absence of cognitive impairment in the population, after which the Geriatric Depression Scale was administered. Results: The prevalence of depression in both institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly individuals was 20 percent. The symptoms of depression in the two groups could be considered as depressive episodes since they were transient and did not result in any deterioration of their function. Conclusion: The finding of this study showed that there was no difference between the prevalence of depression in institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly individuals.