Relationships between social and health factors and major depression in old age in a multivariate analysis

Abstract

This community-based epidemiologic survey is concerned with relationships between social and health factors and major depression in a Finnish population aged 60 years and over as demonstrated in a multivariate analysis based on log-linear models. The log-linear model constructed for major depressive persons revealed six interactions. The first could be described by a low number of hobbies and moderate or poor physical health as rated by a physican; the second by widowed or divorced status and a low number of hobbies; the third by widowed or divorced status and a high incidence of current social stress factors but a low incidence of current stressful health factors, or by married status, a low incidence of social stress factors but a high incidence of current stressful health factors; the fourth by a high incidence of current social stress factors, high functional capacity, and a low incidence of current stressful health factors, or a high incidence of current social stress factors, poor functional capacit...