Depression and its determinants among elderly living in Dibrugarh district, Assam: A community based cross-sectional study.

Background: The elderly population is predicted to reach 20% of the total Indian population by 2050. Among people over 60 years, depression is a common treatable mental health issue. Lack of clear clinical presentation in elderly and associated stigma hinders its diagnosis. Aim: To estimate prevalence of depression and its determinants among elderly population. Methods: This study was the community-based cross-sectional study, among elderly individuals aged ≥60 years from rural, urban, and tea-garden areas of Dibrugarh district. With a 37.3% prevalence of depression among Assam's elderly population and 5% absolute precision, the sample size was determined as 360, and multi-stage sampling technique was used. GDS-15 scale for depression and Katz (ADL) for functional status of elderly were utilized. Results: Prevalence of elderly depression was 25.6%. Highest rate of depression (42.9%) was seen among ≥80 years-old. Elderly who were financially dependent (30.6%), illiterate (35.2%) had significantly higher depression, while gender, place of residence, marital status, family type, and socioeconomic status, did not exhibit statistical significance. A negative life event within a year, multi-morbidity, history of fall, low physical activity, and physical dependence were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: Financial dependence, negative life events, inadequate physical activity, and multi-morbidity were independent predictors of depression among elderly.