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 Solidarité 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.