Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Brief Reports

Sex Differences in the Construct Overlap of Frailty and Depression: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Corresponding Author

Matthew Lohman MHS

Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Address correspondence to Matthew Lohman, MHS, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Division of Epidemiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, PO Box 980212, Richmond, VA 23298. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author

Levent Dumenci PhD,

Levent Dumenci PhD

Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Search for more papers by this author

Briana Mezuk PhD,

Briana Mezuk PhD

Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Search for more papers by this author

Matthew Lohman MHS,

Corresponding Author

Matthew Lohman MHS

Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Levent Dumenci PhD,

Levent Dumenci PhD

Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Search for more papers by this author

Briana Mezuk PhD,

Briana Mezuk PhD

Division of Epidemiology, Department of Family Medicine and Population Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Search for more papers by this author

First published: 27 February 2014

https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.12689

Citations: 52

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Abstract

Objectives

To determine the degree of diagnostic overlap between frailty and depression and to investigate whether sex differences in symptom endorsement influence this overlap.

Design

Cross-sectional latent class analysis.

Setting

Data were from the 2008 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of health characteristics of older adults.

Participants

Community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older completing a general health questionnaire and consenting to physical measurements (N = 3,665).

Measurements

Frailty was measured using criteria developed in the Cardiovascular Health Study, and depressive symptoms were measured using the eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale.

Results

Frailty and depression were best modeled as two distinct but highly correlated constructs with three and four classes of symptom response, respectively. Measurement overlap was high in men and women. Approximately 73% of individuals with severe depressive symptoms and 86% with primarily somatic depressive symptoms were categorized as concurrently frail. The degree of construct overlap between depression and frailty did not significantly vary according to sex, but women were significantly more likely to endorse all frailty and depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

Measures of depression and frailty identify substantially overlapping populations of older men and women. More-frequent endorsement of depressive symptoms, but not differential endorsement of somatic symptoms, may contribute to the higher prevalence of frailty in women. The symptom of exhaustion is particularly important to the correlation between these two conditions. Findings will inform clinician and researcher efforts to refine the definition of geriatric syndromes such as frailty and to develop effective interventions.

References

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Citing Literature

Volume62, Issue3

March 2014

Pages 500-505

Sex Differences in the Construct Overlap of Frailty and Depression: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Abstract

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Measurements

Results

Conclusion

References

Citing Literature

References

Information

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Sex Differences in the Construct Overlap of Frailty and Depression: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study

Abstract

Objectives

Design

Setting

Participants

Measurements

Results

Conclusion

References

Citing Literature

References

Related

Information