Heterogeneity in Depression Symptoms and Health Status Among Older Adults

• Published in: Journal of aging and health Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. 879 - 896
• Main Authors: Mora, Pablo A., Beamon, Teerah, Preuitt, LeAnn, DiBonaventura, Marco, Leventhal, Elaine A., Leventhal, Howard
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-08-2012; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anhedonia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression - classification; Depression - psychology; Female; Health Status; Health technology assessment; Humans; Interpersonal Relations; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mathematical models; Mental depression; Mental health; Middle Aged; Multivariate analysis; Older people; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; health status; older adults; depression symptoms; latent profile analysis; heterogeneity
• ISSN: 0898-2643; 1552-6887
• DOI: 10.1177/0898264312440323

Objectives: We assessed whether distinct classes of depression symptoms could be identified. In addition, we determined how these classes differed in terms of health status. Methods: Data were analyzed with latent profile analysis. MANOVA tests were used to compare the health status of the various classes. Results: A four-class model had the best fit. Classes were labeled according to participants’ responses to the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression Scale (CES-D) items and their overall score: low depression symptoms, high depression symptoms, subthreshold with anhedonia, and subthreshold with anhedonia and negative interpersonal feelings. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses showed that health status differed across classes. Conclusions: The results provide support for the idea that there is heterogeneity in the presentation of depression symptoms among older adults. These data showed that about a third of our sample of older adults reported increased levels of anhedonia and that negative interpersonal feelings were uncommon.