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K Pahkala

Publications and source records attributed to K Pahkala.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Relationships between health behaviour and depression in the aged.

Relationships between the occurrence of depression, drinking alcohol, performing physical exercise and smoking were explored in Finns aged 60 years or over. A multivariate analysis based on log-linear models showed a positive relationship between higher occurrence of depression, smoking and no regular physical exercise in men, and between higher occurrence of depression, not smoking, abstaining and no regular physical exercise in women. We suggest that factors related to personality traits and coping styles explain both the relationship between depression and smoking, and sex differences in smoking habits; the relaxing and euphoric effect of a small amount of alcohol may explain the association between lower occurrence of depression and non-abstaining in women. The association between higher occurrence of depression and no regular physical exercise may reflect either the cause of depression, or the effects of depressive disorder.

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PubMed1989

Dysthymic disorder in the aged in the community.

The prevalence of dysthymic disorder and and its relationship to social and health variables were investigated in a Finnish population aged 60 years or over. The prevalence was lower in men (17.2 per 100) than in women (22.9 per 100). In the total population the occurrence was higher in the widowed (24.9 per 100) than in the married (18.3 per 100). In men, dysthymic disorder was more common in those with a lower educational level (22.6 per 100) than with a higher educational level (15.1 per 100), and more common in persons receiving long-term institutional care or home nursing or home help (28.7 per 100) than in persons living independently at home (14.6 per 100). The rate was not related to age, marital status or occupation. In women, the occurrence was not related to age, marital status, education, occupation or form of social and health care. The female rate was higher than the male in the older group (70 yrs. +), in married persons, in those with a higher educational level and in those living independently at home. Underdiagnosing was evident. The occurrence of dysthymic disorder was related to poor health and poor functional status and to the occurrence of social and health stressors. No differences were found in the occurrence of the related factors between persons with dysthymic disorder and persons with major depression. Our results support the conclusion that the majority of cases of dysthymic disorders in the elderly are affective illnesses and not personality disorders.

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PubMed1989

The prognosis of depression in old age.

A prospective follow-up of depressed elderly patients is described. The subjects, 91 men and 173 women aged 60 years or over, were diagnosed as depressed in an epidemiological study using the DSM-III criteria. One hundred ninety-nine patients suffered from dysthymic disorder. The mean duration of the follow-up was 14.9 +/- 4.3 months. Outcome was not associated with sex and was good in 41% of the cases. In men, poor outcome was associated with low social participation, low frequency of visiting contacts, and poor insight into the depressive disorder. In women, poor outcome was associated with multiple depressive symptoms, depression diagnosed previous to this study, not living alone, low social participation, low self-perceived health, diurnal variation of symptoms, and the occurrence of initial insomnia, loss of libido, and hypochondriacal and compulsive symptoms. Many similarities were found in factors associated with outcome between all depressed patients and the patients whose depression was diagnosed during our epidemiological study.

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PubMed1988

Prevalence of depression in an elderly population in Finland.

The prevalence of depression by sex, age and certain sociodemographic variables was investigated in a sample of elderly Finns (60 years or over) living in the semi-industrialized municipality of Ahtäri (n = 1529). The study was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, depressive symptoms were screened with the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (ZSDS). In the second phase, persons scoring greater than or equal to 40 points in the ZSDS and a random sample of persons scoring less than 40 ZSDS points were examined by a general practitioner. The prevalence of depression was determined on the basis of DSM-III criteria. The estimated prevalence for men was 22.4%, and for women 29.7%. The estimated prevalence for different categories of depression was as follows: dysthymic disorder, men 17.2% and women 22.9%; major depression, men 2.6% and women 4.5%; atypical depression, men 2.2% and women 2.5%; and cyclothymic disorder, men 0.4% and women 0%. No cases of bipolar disorder were found. A high risk of depression was associated with female sex, widowhood and being in long-term institutional care or receiving home nursing and/or home help. The occurrence of depression was not related to age, education or occupation.

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PubMed1988

Clinician-rated symptoms and signs of depression in aged Finns.

The study describes symptoms and signs of depression in elderly (60 years or over) Finns. Lists of symptoms and signs assessed by the examining physicians in a population study were used in rating, and the symptoms and signs of persons diagnosed as depressed were compared to those of persons who were not depressed. The commonest symptoms both in men and women were sleep disturbances, fatiguability, loss of interest, depressed mood, loss of activity, pains, pessimism and sense of uselessness. In addition, worry was a common symptom in women. Hallucinations and other delusions than those about unforgivable behaviour were very uncommon. Loss of libido did not strongly indicate occurrence of depression, and in persons aged 70 years or over it could not be included in symptoms of depression. Sex differences in the commonest symptoms of depression were evident: worry, crying spells, helplessness, loneliness, suicidal ideas and pains were more common in depressed women than in depressed men. Some age differences in symptoms were also found both in men and in women. Sad expression was a common sign of depression in both sexes. In addition, slow movements, scarcity of gestures and slow speech were quite common signs in depressed men and stooping posture was quite common in depressed women.

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PubMed1986

Factors explaining the referral of the elderly to home nursing or home help.

Factors explaining the referral of the elderly to home nursing or home help or both were studied in a population (n = 1358) aged 60 years or over and living in the commune of Ahtäri, a semi-industrialized community in middle-western Finland, using social and health care registers and questionnaires in collecting data. The clients of home nursing and of combined home nursing and home help were predominantly women, whereas men were in the majority among those referred to home help. A stepwise regression analysis showed old age, living alone, low self-perceived health, low education and few visiting contacts to explain home nursing or home help among men. Among women, the most important variables explaining home nursing or home help in the regression model were old age, low self-perceived health, low standard of housing, high amount of symptoms and lowered functional capacity. The poor availability of social support is more important a factor explaining the referral to home care among elderly men than among women. On the other hand, low health status and poor functional capacity, as well as poor availability of physical support are more important factors among women than men.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social and environmental factors and major depression in old age.

This community-based epidemiological survey is concerned with relationships between social and environmental factors and major depression in a Finnish population aged 60 years and over. The occurrence of major depression was related to advanced age, widowhood or divorce, low number of hobbies, frequently being alone, poor social participation, and many long-standing and current social-stress factors. According to the questionnaire data, subjects suffering from major depression had more frequently experienced serious illnesses and deaths among their close relatives during the five years before the beginning of this survey than had the non-depressed subjects. The log-linear model constructed for major-depressive persons revealed six interactions. The first was characterized by a low number of hobbies, high incidence of long-standing social-stress factors, and widowed or divorced status; the second by poor social participation and high incidence of long-standing and current social-stress factors, or combination of moderate level of social participation, high incidence of long-standing social-stress factors, and low incidence of current social-stress factors; the third by a low number of hobbies and high incidence of current social-stress factors; the fourth by a high incidence of current social-stress factors and widowed or divorced status; the fifth by a low number of hobbies and low level of social participation; and the sixth by a moderate level of social participation and widowhood or divorce.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Social and environmental factors and atypical depression in old age.

This community-based epidemiological survey is concerned with relationships between social and environmental factors and atypical depression in a Finnish population aged 60 years or over. The occurrence of atypical depression was related to older age, widowed or divorced marital status, having moved during the previous few years, living in a small dwelling near the local population center, having neighbors living in the same building, living alone, being frequently alone, a low number of hobbies and many long-standing or current social stress factors. In addition, the atypical depressive persons felt that elderly people were not appreciated. The log-linear model constructed for atypical depressive persons revealed five subgroups. The first was characterized by living alone and being widowed or divorced, the second by living alone and having a low number of hobbies and a high incidence of long-standing social stress factors, the third by being frequently alone and being widowed or divorced, the fourth by a low number of hobbies and a low incidence of actual social stress factors, and the fifth by living alone and having a high incidence of long-standing social stress factors and a low incidence of actual social stress factors.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Delusional depression in the elderly: a community study.

The prevalence of delusional depression, its symptoms and signs, and social and health status of delusional depressives were studied in a Finnish population aged 60 years or over. The prevalence was six per 1,000 men, 12 per 1,000 women, and 10 per 1,000 for both sexes. The overall symptomatology of delusional depressives was more severe than that of nondelusional major depressives or of all nondelusional depressives. The mean age at the onset of depression and the mean duration of depression did not differ between delusional and nondelusional major depressives. Although delusional depressed elderly did not significantly differ statistically from nondelusional major depressives in social status, somatic health status, functional capacity, or occurrence of social or health stress factors; they tended to have a better somatic health status and they tended to be more lonely. The small number of delusional depressives does not give us the opportunity to draw straightforward conclusions about whether elderly delusional depressives are a subcategory differing from other elderly major depressives.

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PubMedDate not supplied

Symptoms of depression in old people in Finland.

The study describes common symptoms of depression and age and sex differences in these symptoms in elderly Finns. The symptoms were assessed on the basis of the 22-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), and comparisons were made between the symptoms of those diagnosed as depressed and those diagnosed as not depressed in clinical investigations. The most common symptoms in depressed men were general somatic symptoms, initial insomnia, loss of interest in work and activities, middle insomnia, and depressed mood. In depressed women, the most common symptoms were psychic anxiety, general somatic symptoms, initial insomnia, loss of interest in work and activities, and depressed mood. In both these groups the lowest occurrences were found for compulsory symptoms, paranoid symptoms and depersonalization. The symptomatology was most severe in the oldest age group: depressed mood and many somatic symptoms were more common in depressed older male and female age groups than in younger groups. Sex comparisons showed that many symptoms were more severe in depressed women than in depressed men: depressed mood, feelings of guilt, psychic anxiety, somatic anxiety and diurnal variation of symptoms were more common in depressed women. Retardation was the only symptom that was more common in depressed men. Loss of libido did not belong to the symptomatology of depression in the oldest female age group, but in men and in younger female age group it could in some cases indicate occurrence of depression.

Age Factors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hallucinatory depression in the elderly: a community study.

The prevalence of hallucinatory depression and symptoms and the social and health status of hallucinatory depressives were studied in a Finnish population aged 60 years or over. The prevalence was 2 per 1,000 for men, 3 per 1,000 for women and 2 per 1,000 for both sexes. Hallucinatory depressions represented 0.9% of all depressions both in men and women, and 7.7% of major depressions in men, 5.7% in women, and 6.3% in both sexes. The hallucinations included visual and hearing hallucinations. Delayed insomnia and depersonalisation were more severe in hallucinatory depressives than in nonhallucinatory major depressives, but initial insomnia was more severe in nonhallucinatory major depressives. Depersonalisation, paranoid symptoms and delayed insomnia were more severe in hallucinatory depressives than in all nonhallucinatory depressives, but initial insomnia was more severe in all nonhallucinatory depressives. The physical health and functional capacity of hallucinatory depressives were good, but they had suffered from social stress factors before the onset of depression. The results gave some evidence that hallucinatory depression in old age is not a clinical entity separate from other forms of major depression.

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