Prevalence of Depression in Turkmen Older Adults - 1389

The population of the elderly is increasing in the world so that in 2050 more than 20% of the world's population will consist of elderly people and the majority of whom will live the developing countries. Psychological disorders are the most important problems among elderly people. There are some barriers in the elderly with specific race and ethnicity that can lead to difficulty in detection and interpretation of psychological and mood disorders, for instance the different languages and low education. In this survey, the prevalence of depression in Turkmen elderly people over 60 years were measured based on standard tests. This study is a cross-sectional one which was conducted on 300 community- dwelling Turkmen over 60 without cognitive impairment. Samples were selected cluster randomly. In this research a questionnaire containing demographic information and standardized questionnaires of depression in the elderly (GDS15) were used. They were completed with an interview. Data analysis showed that the mean depression score was 4.31± 3.353 and 20 percent of them had mild depression, 10 percent moderate depression, 3 percent severe depression and 67 percent were asymptomatic. According to research the mean age for men was 69 ± 7/06 and 67±6/48 for women. Depression is a significant problem in public health. The prevalence of moderate and sever depression among older Turkmen adults is less or similar to rates found in other researches in Iran. It is necessary to identify the planning and treatment for mild depression.