Prevalence of Geriatric Depression and Alexithymia and their association with sociodemographic characteristics in a sample of elderly persons living in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of Geriatric Depression and Alexithymia and its association with the sociodemographic characteristics in senior independent adults without known depression. Method: Cross-sectional study. The sampling strategy selected was non-probabilistic, of an intentional type. A total of 176 adults over 60 years of age, of different gender and independent, residing in Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, were evaluated through an individual interview with the following instruments: Sociodemographic (ad hoc) questionnaire, adaptation of the Questionnaire of Geriatric Depression of Yesavage (V-15) and the Latin American Alexithymia LAC TAS-20 Scale. Student´s t-tests (Chi-squared), Student´s "t" were used and Odds Ratio were calculated, with a probability of error less than or equal to 0.05. Results: The mean age was 73 years (+7.1 years) and 72.7% were women. The prevalence of Geriatric Depression was 35.8%, and Alexithymia was 50.6%. The presence of Geriatric Depression was significantly associated with female gender and with those who did not work. High values of Alexithymia were observed among those with primary education and a low occupational level. Conclusion: The evaluation of Geriatric Depression and Alexithymia in clinical care is recommended, and should be considered also for the diagnosis and treatment of the social determinants of the health of the elderly.