Abstract
Objective
To analyze the association of self-perceived depressive feelings and cognitive performance with prevalence of depressive symptoms among quilombola elderly people.
Methods
Cross-sectional study conducted with elderly people from 11 communities in Bequimão-MA. Socioeconomic and health conditions, self-perception of depressive feelings, cognitive performance by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and prevalence of depressive symptoms by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30) were investigated. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios were calculated with a confidence interval of 95% by Poisson regression with robust variance.
Results
A total of 59.5% of the elderly people were females, 50.6% were up to 69 years old and 83.7% were classified in socioeconomic status E. Moreover, 45.7% reported feeling “down” or “without perspective”; 12.1% had altered cognitive performance and 46.4% were screened as depressed by the GDS-30. Based on the GDS-30, 65.0% of the elderly people reported perception of depressive feelings associated depression, as well as 70% of them showed altered cognitive performance. In the adjusted analysis, depression evaluated by the GDS-30 was associated with self-perceived depressive feelings (PR= 2.02; 95% CI: 1.26-3.26), but not with the MMSE (PR= 1.64; 95% CI: 0.90-3.01).
Conclusion
There was a high prevalence of self-perceived depressive feelings and depressive symptoms identified by the GDS-30. The association between these variables points to the importance of monitoring the mental health of quilombola elderly people.
Keywords
Depression; Mental Status and Dementia Tests; Aged; Health of Ethnic Minorities
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