Risk Factors of Depression on the Elderly: A Review Study

The relevant risk factors of depression among the elderly must be identified in order to design an appropriate interventional program to prevent depression among them. Therefore, this study tried to have a comprehensive look to identify depression risk factors among the elderly through systematic reviewing of original researches in this area.
Article abstracts were systematically searched from Pub Med, Elsevier, Scopus, PsycINFO data bases and related English articles were reviewed from 1992 to 2015 with keywords such as Elderly or Older, Old, Aged, Late-life and Adults in combination with Risk factor, Affective, etiology, predictor, determinant ,mood and Depression. According to the determined criteria’s, 21 article of the 66 articles were selected in this study and the relationship between risk factors and symptoms of depression were summarized and compared.
Based on the results of descriptive- analytical studies: factors of demographic characteristics, lifestyle, psychological and physiological variables were predicted Depression in the elderly. The results of interventional studies were indicated in the reducing depression: regular physical activity and appropriate diet were Reduced the level of depression. As well as results of a study showed that treatment through reviewing his/her life is effective in reducing severity depression in the Elderly women.
social support is the most important protective factor Against depression in elderly. As well as regarding the obtained contradictions in the reviewed study results in order to determine the role of Metabolic syndrome in the elderly depression needs more comprehensive research in this area.