Polypharmacy and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults: Does Gender Matter?

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between polypharmacy and depressive symptoms among U.S. community-dwelling older adults and whether it varied by gender. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective population-based analysis of 3,354 adults aged 65 and older using data from the 2009 Health and Retirement Study Health and Well-Being Study. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more prescription medications. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-8). Negative binomial regression models assessed associations between polypharmacy and depressive symptoms and whether the relationship varied by gender. RESULTS: > .05). There were no significant gender differences in unadjusted or adjusted models in the relationship between polypharmacy and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy was not related to depressive symptoms among older women or men. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Interventions to address physical health may be more salient to depression management than polypharmacy regardless of gender.