Depresión y función cognitiva de adultos mayores de una comunidad urbano marginal

Abstract

Introduction: Psychological and cognitive health of older adults can present changes related to aging. Depression often leads to cognitive impairment, conditions to be identified for early detection and prevention of damage. Objective: To identify association between depression and cognitive function of the elderly, to guide the planning of educational intervention strategies. Method: A descriptive, cross-correlation in 252 elderly men and women. Instruments: Test Yesavage (sensitivity 84%, specificity 95%) and Mini-mental State Examination (sensitivity 82%, specificity 84%). Analysis: SPSS v.18, Spearman correlation. Results: The 40.1% without depression, 3.9% mild depression and 25% established depression; 58.3% whole cognitive function and 41.7% cognitive decline. Negative correlation between depression and cognitive function (rs =-0242; p =0.000). Discussion: The correlation found is similar to that reported in other studies. Conclusion: The values obtained with the Spearman correlation test showed no association in the expected direction.