Depression Status and Influencing Factors Among the Rural Poor Elderly in Poverty-stricken Townships

Abstract

Objective To describe the depression status of the rural poor elderly in poverty-stricken townships, and analyze the factors that influenced the depression status. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a structured questionnaire among 249 old people at the age of 60 or older in August 2013 in eight villages of Zhuchangping township in Xingyi city, Qianxinan autonomous prefecture of Buyei and Miao minorities, Guizhou province. The depression was measured by the geriatric depression scale (short form), and multivariate logistic regression method was applied to analyze influencing factors. Results The component ratio of depression among the poor elderly was 81.6% (a mild depression of 23.7%, a moderate depression of 26.3%, and a severe depression of 31.6%), higher than among the non-poor elderly with a statistically significant difference (P=0.01). Compared with male, non-poor and not walking difficultly elderly people, female, poor and
walking difficultly elderly people were more likely to report the depression with the OR value
of 3.10, 4.16, and 2.08, respectively. Compared with the elderly who had not received
objective supports, subjective supports within family, and not met with migrant children in
one year, the elderly who had received objective supports, subjective supports within family,
and met with migrant children in one year were less likely to report depression with the OR
value of 0.39,0.52,and 0.32, respectively. Conclusion: The status of depression was bad
among the rural poor elderly in the poverty-stricken township. The influencing factors were
gender, difficulty in walking, objective support, subjective support within family, and meeting with migrant children in one year.