American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 134, No. 5: 526-538
Copyright © 1991 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
other |
A Longitudinal Study of Risk Factors for Depressive Symptomatology in Elderly Widowed and Married Women
1Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
2Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health Baltimore, MD
Reprint requests to Dr. George W. Comstock, Training Center for Public Health Research, Box 2067, Hagerstown, MD 21742-2067.
Few studies have examined whether risk factors for depressive symptomatology differ in bereaved and nonbereaved individuals or whether risk factors differ in bereaved individuals over time. Between 1979 and 1983 in Washington County, Maryland, the associations between various health and social network variables and depressive symptomatology were evaluated prior to bereavement and at 1 and 12 months after bereavement in 136 widows and 409 married controls. Prior Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores were generally a good predictor of subsequent scores; however, shortly after bereavement prior scores proved relatively uninformative as most widows experienced a marked increase in depressive symptomatology. Poor health and limitations in physical activity at baseline were consistently associated with higher levels of symptomatology. Although having more friends was also consistently associated with lower levels of symptomatology, the effect of family size appeared to be time and circumstance specific. These results suggest that women at risk of prolonged depression after the death of their husbands can be identified prior to or at the time of bereavement and that widows have risk factors similar to those of women at risk of depression in the general community.
aged; depression; geriatrics; health surveys; single person
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  Honors and Awards * Bibliography of Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles Am. J. Epidemiol., October 1, 2008; 168(7): 845 - 854. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. K. Kiecolt-Glaser, K. J. Preacher, R. C. MacCallum, C. Atkinson, W. B. Malarkey, and R. Glaser Chronic stress and age-related increases in the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 PNAS, July 22, 2003; 100(15): 9090 - 9095. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. G. Cole and N. Dendukuri Risk Factors for Depression Among Elderly Community Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Am J Psychiatry, June 1, 2003; 160(6): 1147 - 1156. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. A. Badger and P. Collins-Joyce Depression, Psychosocial Resources, and Functional Ability in Older Adults Clin Nurs Res, August 1, 2000; 9(3): 238 - 255. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. DENIHAN, M. KIRBY, I. BRUCE, C. CUNNINGHAM, D. COAKLEY, and B. A. LAWLOR Three-year prognosis of depression in the community-dwelling elderly The British Journal of Psychiatry, May 1, 2000; 176(5): 453 - 457. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. J. Gallo and B. D. Lebowitz The Epidemiology of Common Late-Life Mental Disorders in the Community: Themes for the New Century Psychiatr Serv, September 1, 1999; 50(9): 1158 - 1166. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. A. Glass, S. V. Kasl, and L. F. Berkman Stressful Life Events and Depressive Symptoms among the Elderly: Evidence from a Prospective Community Study J Aging Health, February 1, 1997; 9(1): 70 - 89. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|