Is Life Expectancy Associated with Depression in the Elderly?

Introduction: Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders and risk factors for suicide in aging that often underdiagnosed and those who are more hopeful, suffer from less depression. The present study was conducted to determine the relationship between life expectancy and depression among older people in Yazd, Iran.   Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 community-dwelling elderlies over 60 years of age, Yazd city. Eligible older people were selected using cluster sampling method. The data collection instrument included geriatric depression scale and The adult hope scale. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive frequency distribution, independent t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation.   Results: The mean score of depression and life expectancy in the elderly was 6.77 ± 3.17 and 39.52 ± 6.27, respectively. There was a significant negative correlation between life expectancy and depression (r = -0.594 and p = 0.005), and a significant positive correlation between age and depression (r = 0.258 and p = 0.005).   Conclusion: Considering that the depression score in the elderly was at a moderate level, and also considering that with decreasing life expectancy, depression increased in the elderly, psychological interventions focusing on preventing and reducing depression, and increasing the life expectancy, are recommended.