Depression Among The Elderly Malays Living In Rural Malaysia

Introduction: Most countries including Malaysia are facing an ageing population phenomenon and depression is a common psychiatric problem among the elderly. Aim: The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of depression among the elderly Malays living in rural Malaysia. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted among the elderly population in 24 villages in north Malaysia. Geriatric Depression Scale was used to screen for depression among the participants. Analysis was done using SPSS version 13 Results: The prevalence of depression was 30.1%. Being unmarried (OR 2.06), unemployed (OR 1.81), earning less than RM 600 (OR 2.16) and living alone (OR 2.32) were significantly associated with the risk of being depressed. Being unemployed (1.82) and earning less than RM 600 (OR 1.79) were significant predictive variables. Conclusion: Employment opportunities which can provide reasonable income are important for the elderly.