Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Comparing depression diagnostic symptoms across younger and older adults.

Balsis S, Cully JA. Comparing depression diagnostic symptoms across younger and older adults. Aging & mental health. 2008 Nov 1; 12(6):800-6.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: Depression in later life has potential grave implications and contributes to heavy emotional, medical, and economic burdens. Therefore, it is not surprising that identifying depression and its symptoms in later life has remained a sustained concern for professionals who treat older patients. Despite this concern, the current diagnostic gold standard may not identify depression symptoms equally well in older and younger adults. The objective of this analysis is to determine whether older and younger adults with equivalent levels of latent depression are equally likely to endorse particular DSM diagnostic symptoms. METHOD: We analyzed DSM depression data using Item Response Theory (IRT)-based differential item functioning analyses. The data came from 1808 older adults (age 65-98 years) and 3734 younger adults (age 18-34 years) who participated in the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcoholism and Related Conditions. RESULTS: The analyses confirmed our hypothesis. The DSM items identify depression differently in younger and older adults. Specifically, results showed that older adults were more likely to endorse somatic items and less likely to endorse cognitive and suicide items than their younger counterparts with equivalent levels of depression. CONCLUSION: These findings provide evidence that the DSM depression items work differently across age groups when controlling for latent depression. It is important to consider, however, that these findings are limited by the sampling methodology and the particular protocol implemented.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.