Gender differences in the contributions of risk factors to depressive symptoms among the elderly persons dwelling in a community, Japan

Objective: To examine the relative importance of risk factors associated with depressive symptoms and gender differences in exposure to the risk factors among the elderly persons living in the community. Methods: The data came from the Minamifurano-town Aging Study, a community-based sample of non-institutionalized elderly persons aged 65 years or older. Of the 731 eligible subjects, 665 were assessed for four domains of the potential risk factors (demographic characteristics, health and disability, stress, and social networks) and depressive symptoms according to the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: The mean overall GDS-score was 10.9 (SD 6.2), 10.2 (SD 6.0) in men and 11.6 (SD 6.4) in women. The stress domain in men and the health and disability domain in women contributed most to the explanation of the variation in the GDS-score. Conclusion: 'Stress' for men and 'health and disability status' for women were important factors associated with depressive symptoms. Future studies should determine whether modification of these factors may prevent depression among the elderly persons living in the community.