Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of study cohort at baseline—total sample, depressive (GDS ≥6) and non-depressed individuals.
| Mean (SD); Range/N (%) | Total sample (N = 1,191) | No Depression (N = 995) | Depression (N = 196) | p–value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 80.73 (4.58); (75–98) | 80.57 (4.48); (75–98) | 81.53 (4.96); (75–94) | <0.01 |
| Sex | <0.05 | |||
| Female | 749 (62.9%) | 610 (61.3%) | 139 (70.9%) | |
| Male | 442 (37.1%) | 385 (38.7%) | 57 (29.1%) | |
| Education (CASMIN) | 0.198 | |||
| Low | 651 (54.9%) | 537 (54.3%) | 114 (58.2%) | |
| Middle | 317 (26.8%) | 262 (26.5%) | 55 (28.1%) | |
| High | 217 (18.3%) | 190 (19.2%) | 27 (13.8%) | |
| Marital status | <0.001 | |||
| Married, living together with spouse | 544 (45.7%) | 481 (48.4%) | 63 (32.1%) | |
| Married, living separated with spouse | 24 (2.0%) | 18 (1.8%) | 6 (3.1%) | |
| Single | 53 (4.5%) | 48 (4.8%) | 5 (2.6%) | |
| Divorced | 72 (6.1%) | 50 (5.0%) | 22 (11.2%) | |
| Widowed | 497 (41.8%) | 397 (39.9%) | 100 (51.0%) | |
| Living situation | <0.001 | |||
| Alone (private household) | 517 (43.6%) | 415 (41.8%) | 102 (52.3%) | |
| Living together with spouse/ partner/relative | 602 (50.7%) | 530 (53.4%) | 72 (36.9%) | |
| Retirement home / assisted living / nursing home | 68 (5.7%) | 47 (4.7%) | 21 (10.8%) | |
| Health Insurance | 0.748 | |||
| Private health insurance | 54 (4.6%) | 46 (4.7%) | 8 (4.1%) | |
| Statutory health insurance | 1,129 (95.4%) | 943 (95.3%) | 186 (95.9%) | |
| Social Support (ESSI) | <0.001 | |||
| Low | 220 (18.9%) | 162 (16.6%) | 58 (31.0%) | |
| High | 942 (81.1%) | 813 (83.4%) | 129 (69.0%) | |
| Cognitive functioning (MMSE) | 27.25 (2.46); (13–30) | 27.41 (2.29); (13–30) | 26.37 (3.08); (14–30) | <0.001 |
| Chronic disease score (CDS) | 5.11 (2.87); (0–12) | 4.98 (2.86); (0–12) | 5.85 (2.83); (0–12) | <0.001 |
| Functional impairment (ADL) | <0.001 | |||
| No | 439 (36.9%) | 406 (40.8%) | 33 (16.8%) | |
| Yes | 752 (63.1%) | 589 (59.2%) | 163 (83.2%) | |
| Visual impairment | <0.001 | |||
| No | 831 (69.8%) | 739 (74.3%) | 92 (46.9%) | |
| Yes | 360 (30.2%) | 256 (25.7%) | 104 (53.1%) | |
| Hearing impairment | <0.01 | |||
| No | 675 (56.7%) | 582 (58.5%) | 93 (47.4%) | |
| Yes | 516 (43.3%) | 413 (41.5%) | 103 (52.6%) | |
| Outcome variables: | ||||
| General practitioner visits | 4.33 (4.21); (0–60) | 4.08 (3.68); (0–48) | 5.63 (6.07); (0–60) | <0.001 |
| Specialist visits | 4.63 (4.84); (0–76) | 4.49 (4.80); (0–76) | 5.37 (5.00); (0–33) | <0.05 |
| Hospital visit | <0.001 | |||
| No | 1,013 (85.1%) | 864 (86.8%) | 149 (76.0%) | |
| Yes | 178 (14.9%) | 131 (13.2%) | 47 (24.0%) |
AgeMooDe Study—“Late-life depression in primary care: needs, health care utilization and costs”.
SD, standard deviation; p-values are based on chi-square or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables and on independent t tests for continuous variables; Depression—short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale, which contains 15 items (GDS-SF) (29); Educational level (CASMIN) low, middle, high [33]; Social support—German Version of the ENRICHD Social Support Inventory—ESSI (35), range 5-25, values lower or equal to 18 indicated low social support (36); Cognitive function—Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), from 0 (worst) to 30 (best) (39); Chronic disease score (CDS)—burden of multimorbidity, range 0–12, higher scores indicate higher morbidity (38); Functional impairment-−24-item scale (instrumental) activities of daily living (IADL/ADL). Patients who had difficulty on at least one ADL/IADL were classified as functionally impaired (37).