The prevalence of depression among the elderly population of Shaystegan and Jahandidegan nursing homes in Shahrekord

The aging of the society and the senility highlights the issues related to this period of life. Depression is a common problem in elderly period. This study aimed to investigate the level of depression among the elderly population. In this deh1ive-analytical study all the residents of Shaystegan and Jahandidegan nursing homes which were under the supervision of the State Welfare Organization in Shahrekord were studied. The data was collected using the standard Beck questionnaire for depression and analyzed using Pearson correlation Mann-Whitney and Cruscal-valis tests. The average age of the study population was 68.7±16.1 year and the average depression scale was 23.11±9.2. Based on the results 64.9% were slightly depressed 15.8% were moderately depressed 15.8% showed no sign of depression and only 3.5% were severely depressed. According to these findings significant relationship was seen between age marital status and the level of depression