Depression and potential risk factors among the elderly with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Kedah, Malaysia

OBJECTIVE: Elderly with diabetes has been found to have a higher chance of depression. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among elderly with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Kedah.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Klinik Kesihatan Bandar, Sungai Petani, Kedah. The inclusion criteria were patients aged ≥60 years with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Those with cognitive impairment, presence of organic brain syndrome, presence of severe mental disorder and patients who are either deaf or mute were excluded. The Malay version of Geriatric Depression Scale (M-GDS-14) was used to assess the depressive symptoms. The data was analysed using descriptive statistic and multiple logistic regression.

RESULTS: A total of 511 patients participated in the study. The mean age of the respondents is 64.5 (Standard Deviation 7.0) years old. There were slightly more males (53.8%). Majority were Malay (63.0%), married (76.9%) and has a household income of less than RM1000 (67.5%). The prevalence of depression was 32.1%. The number of elderly people living with their children (Adjusted Odds Ratio, aOR0.20, 95%CI: 0.07, 0.55), elderly living with spouse, children, in law and grandchildren (aOR2.95, 95%CI: 1.18, 7.37), diabetic complication (aOR4.68, 95%CI: 2.63, 8.35) and HbA1c (aOR1.23, 95%CI: 1.09, 1.39) are significantly associated with depression.

CONCLUSION: The level of depression was found to be high. Factors contributing to the significantly high level of depression are found to be associated with living arrangements, diabetic complication and HbA1c were significantly associated with depression.