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Prevalence and correlates of late‐life depression compared between urban and rural populations in Korea
Author(s) -
Kim JaeMin,
Shin IlSeon,
Yoon JinSang,
Stewart Robert
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/gps.622
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , demography , rural area , gerontology , late life depression , geriatric depression scale , medicine , psychology , cognition , depressive symptoms , psychiatry , pathology , sociology , economics , macroeconomics
Background The aetiology of late‐life depression has received relatively little research in developing countries. Urban and rural populations have rarely been sampled in the same study. Objectives To investigate demographic factors associated with depression and depressive symptoms in an urban and rural sample of older Korean people. Methods A community survey of residents aged 65 or over was conducted in an urban and a rural area within Kwangju, South Korea. The Korean Form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (KGDS) was administered. Associations with demographic, socio‐economic factors and cognitive function (MMSE) were investigated for depression categorised according to a previously validated cut‐off. Results The sample comprised 485 urban‐dwelling and 649 rural‐dwelling participants. No difference was found between urban and rural samples for prevalence rates of depression. However associations with independent variables varied between the areas. In the urban sample, increased age, low education, manual occupation and current rented accommodation were independently associated with depression. Only low education was associated with depression in the rural sample. The interaction with sample area was strongest for age ( p < 0.01) and persisted after further adjustment for cognitive function. Conclusions Adverse socio‐economic status was strongly associated with depression and appeared to operate across the life‐course. While no evidence was found for urban–rural differences in prevalence rates of depression, factors associated with depression differed between these populations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.