Social Factors as Antecedents of Depression among Community-Dwelling Older Persons

Recognizing depression among older persons is often challenging as they tend to attribute their problems to physical rather than emotional origins. The association between socio-economic factors and depression among 384 older persons was determined through descriptive-correlational design. Path analysis revealed that depression is influenced directly by one’s age (r = .108), education status (r = .514), marital status (r = .011), occupation (r = .003), social status (r = −.116), physical stature (r = .099) and economic status (r = .011). Additionally, the type of community where the older persons dwell and gender have a direct influence on occupation (r = .003) and indirectly affecting depression (r = .103). On the other hand, family component has a direct influence on social status (r = .069) but indirectly influences the occurrence of depression (r = .127). Explicitly, these variables render a predictive path on the occurrence or non-occurrence of depression among the respondents. The study suggests that the diagnosis of depression and its prompt interventions can be traced to the socio-economic dimensions of older persons. Implications to research suggest that determining the antecedents to depression of older persons, this provides a projective analysis which can lead to the development of new knowledge in nursing. This will further influence the holistic management in dealing with an older person’s depression.