Abstract
Depression in late life is a common psychiatric disorder among elderly community residents. Several risk factors have been described in literature. This study aimed to review the literature on the incidence of old age depression among community residents and the risk factors associated. A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, LILACS and SCIELO databases using the following key words: "elderly", "risk factors", "depression", and "incidence". The incidence of late life depression in elderly people living in community varied from 5.4 to 24.1 % (median: 12,0; interquartil range: 12,5) . The main predictors of depressive disorders and depressive symptoms cases were: female sex, advanced age, marital condition, low educational status, socio-economic deprivation, living condition, low social support, life events, previous depression, psychiatry comorbidity, personality characteristics, sleep disorders, cognitive impairments, poor health conditions, functional limitations and pain. Depression is a common condition among community-living elderly people and it is considered a serious issue. The identification of factors associated with the incidence of depression may help health professionals to offer early diagnosis and more accurate therapeutic intervention.
Key words:
Aged; Risk factors; Depression; Incidence; Review; Elderly