Open AccessThe Galicia study of mental health of the Elderly II: the use of the Galician DIS
Author(s) -
Mateos R.,
Droux A.,
Páramo M.,
Gonzalez F.,
Carrera I.,
Mazaira J.,
Guntin L.,
Gonzalez P.,
García M.C.,
RodriguezLópez A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
international journal of methods in psychiatric research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.275
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1557-0657
pISSN - 1049-8931
DOI - 10.1002/mpr.91
Subject(s) - portuguese , epidemiology , sociocultural evolution , context (archaeology) , population , mental health , geography , rural area , affect (linguistics) , gerontology , demography , psychology , medicine , sociology , psychiatry , philosophy , linguistics , archaeology , communication , pathology , anthropology
Reports of epidemiological surveys do not always provide adequate careful descriptions of the methodology used and the sociocultural context involved. Galicia, a natural region in south‐west Europe, possesses certain characteristics that differ from those in other communities within the Spanish state. Galician is a Romance language, which is, in fact, closer to Portuguese than it is to Spanish. The population (2.7 million inhabitants) is widely dispersed, with two‐thirds of them living in the countryside. More than 18% are older than 65, and the educational level of this elderly population is low. A total of 681 persons over 60 years of age were interviewed in their homes using the DIS‐III as the main diagnostic instrument during the second phase of the Galicia Study of Mental Health of the Elderly. This paper analyses some methodological implications of this epidemiological study, focusing on the translation of the DIS into Galician and its performance and acceptability in this community. The possible cultural bias that can affect the rates of prevalence in some specific disorders, the limitations of lifetime prevalence and the advantages of using six‐month prevalence rates is discussed. Besides some interesting anecdotes, which are described in the article, the main result is the very high acceptance of DIS‐III in this elderly population. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd.