Associations Between Vascular Risk and Mood in Euthymic Older Adults: Preliminary Findings

Objectives Vascular risk has been associated with late-life depression, but it is less certain whether it is also associated with the endorsement of depressive symptoms among euthymic older adults. We explore whether vascular risk is associated with endorsement of depressive symptoms among euthymic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of geriatric psychiatry 2014-09, Vol.22 (9), p.936-945
Main Authors: Charlton, Rebecca A., Ph.D, Lamar, Melissa, Ph.D, Ajilore, Olusola, M.D., Ph.D, Kumar, Anand, M.D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Affect
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
cardiovascular risk
Cognition
depression
Depression - complications
Depression - psychology
Female
Humans
Internal Medicine
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Regression Analysis
Risk Factors
Stroke - complications
Stroke - psychology
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Summary:Objectives Vascular risk has been associated with late-life depression, but it is less certain whether it is also associated with the endorsement of depressive symptoms among euthymic older adults. We explore whether vascular risk is associated with endorsement of depressive symptoms among euthymic older adults and examine associations with cognitive function. Methods Fifty-seven adults (50–89 years), were assessed for: 1) vascular risk (Framingham Stroke Risk Profile, FSRP); 2) depressive mood (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression, CESD self-rating questionnaire; Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, HDRS clinical interview); and 3) cognitive domains, (Learning and Memory, L-M; Attention and Information Processing, AIP; Executive Function, EF; Semantic Language, SL). Results Significant correlations were observed between FSRP and both depression scales, independent of age. No significant correlations were observed between HDRS and any cognitive domain; in contrast, CESD correlated significantly with L-M, AIP and EF but not SL. FSRP correlated significantly with L-M and EF measures only. Regression analyses revealed that 11.5% of the variance in HDRS scores was explained by FSRP, whereas CESD scores were explained by EF (20.8% of variance). Conclusions Vascular risk was associated with endorsement of depressive symptoms in euthymic older adults. However, the patterns of associations with the two depression scales are distinct and may reflect both differences in administration and item characteristics. A limitation of this study was the exclusion of individuals with subclinical depression, leading to a restricted range on depression scales; future studies should include a full population sample to more fully explore low mood in late-life.
ISSN:1064-7481
1545-7214
DOI:10.1016/j.jagp.2013.01.074