Abstract NS18: Prevalence and Predictors of Depression among Elderly Stroke Patients in Korea

Abstract

Background: Depression after stroke not only affects rehabilitation and recovery, but increases caregiver burden. With rapidly increasing aged population, stroke burden substantially increases in Korea, which makes depression after stroke an important concept to assess. Purpose: The purposes of this study were to (1) assess the prevalence of depression and (2) identify predictors of depression among elderly stroke patients in Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in a convenience sample of 233 hospitalized elderly patients with acute ischemic stroke using a self-administered survey. We assessed depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and collected demographic data and stroke severity (e.g., hemiparesis, dysphagia, cognitive impairment). Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression analyses were used for data analysis. Results: Of the total participants, 60.5% were men, 76.8% were aged ≥ 61 years, 70% were married, 80.3% lived with family, and 71.7% were depressed (HADS depression scale ≥ 8). Individuals who were women (χ 2 =10.32), lived alone (χ 2 =3.38), had symptoms of dysphagia (χ 2 =6.14), dysphasia (χ 2 =8.14), hemiparesis (χ 2 =5.61), cognitive impairment (χ 2 =4.86), or anxiety (χ 2 =54.53) were more likely to be depressed than those who were men, lived with family, had no symptoms of dysphagia, dysphasia, hemiparesis, cognitive impairment ( p < .05), or anxiety. The likelihood of being depressed was higher in individuals who had anxiety (OR=18.93, 95% CI=[6.88, 52.08]) or lived alone (OR=0.28, 95% CI=[0.06, 0.77]) than individuals who did not have anxiety or lived with family. Conclusions: In conclusion, the study findings suggest that clinicians who handle elderly stroke patients should pay attention to the individuals who have anxiety or live alone as the risk of depression after stroke seems to be higher in these groups. Further research focus should be given to (1) identifying underlying factors of anxiety, (2) developing preventive interventions for depression after stroke, including strategies to decrease anxiety and ensure social support, and (3) exploring the association of depression with other health outcomes, such as quality of life and mortality.