Depressive symptoms and quality of life in older adults’ population: quantitative and qualitative approaches

Based on a national prevalence study “Ageing and Violence”, within the Portuguese population aged 60+, in family context, this presentation reflects upon depressive symptoms in older age. Depressive disorder is one of the most frequent illnesses among older people, impacting negatively on their quality of life and well-being. Frequently underreported, depression may present itself with somatic and functional complaints similar to other illnesses or be devalued as “normal” adjustment to the changes that often come in later life (retirement, the death of loved ones, increased isolation, and medical problems). The data derives from the exploratory phase of the study, where semi-structured interviews (N=13) and Focus-group (N=60) were employed. In addition we also collected quantitative data on a nationally representative probability sample of dwelling adults aged 60 and over (N=1123). A 5-item version of the Geriatric Depression Scale was used to screen for depressive symptoms. Overall, 51.3% of the older adults living in private households reported depressive symptoms. These were associated with long-term illness morbidity (p<0.001), reliance on help with ADLs (p<0.001), gender (p<0.001), socio-economic status (p