Predictors of depressive symptoms and low self‐esteem in a follow‐up study of elderly people over 10 years

We report a follow‐up study of measures of depression and self‐esteem in a sample of elderly people, 101 of whom were reinterviewed 10 years after initial assessment and 70 of these again 13 years later. The initial assessment included a wide range of social, psychological and medical measures. The results of logistic regression analysis showed the most significant predictors of the emergence of depressive symptoms and/or low self‐esteem over this period of time to be receipt of help with household tasks, a negative attitude to ageing, and percveived inactivity. High self‐esteem, was also associated with resilience against depression. Despite the close association between measures of depression and self‐esteem, further investigation into the sources of self‐esteem can provide evidence on the origins of depressive disorders.