Depression and coping strategies in the elderly

Depression, which can be found at any age, is the pathology most frequently encountered in aging. We conducted a cross-sectional study in a population of 70 subjects aged over 65, living at home and followed up at the consultation of the polyclinic of the Caisse Nationale de Solidarite Sociale in Sfax for a chronic illness, with the aim of estimating the prevalence of depression in elderly subjects with a chronic illness, investigating the factors correlated with it, and studying coping strategies in this population. We used the Yesavage-Brink Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the Activity of Daily Living (ADL) scale and the Carveretal Brief Coping Scale. Almost 2/3 of the subjects were being followed for at least 3 chronic medical conditions (62.9%), with cardiovascular disease and diabetes predominating. The prevalence of depression was 55.7%. In terms of coping, 50% of the population were more focused on emotion-focused coping, while the most common coping strategy for depressed elderly subjects was avoidance-focused coping.