Baseline CES-D Scores Research Articles

Evolution of depressive symptoms in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients entering primary care.

Our purpose was to examine among HIV-infected patients a) characteristics associated with depressive symptoms at initial primary care presentation and b) factors associated with improvement in depressive symptoms. We interviewed HIV-infected patients at initial presentation and reassessed them 6 months later. At baseline and follow-up, we collected data on depressive symptoms (CES-D) and other characteristics. Using multiple linear regression, we examined associations between CES-D score and baseline variables. We used multiple logistic regression to examine factors associated with improvement in depressive symptoms. Seventy-one percent of the baseline sample (N = 203) scored above the threshold considered indicative of depression. At 6 months, 36% of the subjects who were followed improved in depressive symptoms. Higher baseline CES-D scores, improvements in HIV-related symptoms, and joining a support group were associated with improvement. Depressive symptoms in this urban HIV-infected population were highly prevalent. It is essential to screen, identify, and treat depression among patients entering care for HIV disease. Encouragement in joining support groups is a reasonable component of a strategy for addressing this common condition.

Increases in depressive symptomatology in the rural elderly: results from a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.

Depressive symptomatology was examined in a large sample of noninstitutionalized older adults using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). Both cross-sectional and longitudinal data showed age-related increases in mean CES-D scores and increases in the percentage of respondents scoring at or above the cutoff score of 16. Variables collected at baseline in the longitudinal study from 2,032 participants 65 years of age and older were significant predictors of depressive symptomatology 3 and 6 years later. Baseline CES-D scores accounted for the largest proportion of the variance.