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  • Title: The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) detects changes in depressive symptoms after a major negative life event. The Leiden 85-plus Study.
    Author: Vinkers DJ, Gussekloo J, Stek ML, Westendorp RG, Van Der Mast RC.
    Journal: Int J Geriatr Psychiatry; 2004 Jan; 19(1):80-4. PubMed ID: 14716703.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) is a widely used screening instrument for depressive symptoms in the elderly, but its ability to detect alterations in depressive symptoms over time has not been established. OBJECTIVE: To assess the change of the GDS-15 score after a major negative life event. METHODS: Within the Leiden 85-plus Study, we prospectively followed a population-based cohort of 599 subjects from 85 years onwards. The GDS-15 was applied annually to participants with a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score above 18 points. The change in GDS-15 score of 32 subjects who had lost their partner during follow-up was compared with a control group of 32 subjects who had not lost their partner, matched for age, sex, and initial GDS-15 score. RESULTS: At baseline, 241 subjects lived together with a partner. During a mean follow-up of 3.2 years, 55 participants (23%) lost their partner. Of those, 32 subjects completed the GDS-15 before and after the loss of their partner. All subjects reported the bereavement to be a major negative life event. The mean increase of the GDS-15 score after the death of a partner was 1.2 points (paired t-test, p = 0.013). This was significantly higher than the mean change of -0.06 points in the matched control group (independent t-test, p = 0.032), and independent of sex, level of education, pre-bereavement GDS-15 score, and time period since the loss of a partner. CONCLUSION: This study shows that the GDS-15 detects change in depressive symptoms after loss of a partner, a negative life event that is the most important risk factor for depression in the elderly. Therefore, it may be concluded that the GDS-15 has the ability to measure longitudinal alterations in depressive symptomatology.
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