The relationship between physical health and depression in a primary care population /
Despite effective methods for screening and treating depressed primary care patients, most depressed patients remain unidentified and untreated. As suggested by the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research, detection of depressed patients may be aided by primary care physicians' familiarity w...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
2000.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=731980951&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Despite effective methods for screening and treating depressed primary care patients, most depressed patients remain unidentified and untreated. As suggested by the Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research, detection of depressed patients may be aided by primary care physicians' familiarity with risk factors for depression. This study evaluated health-related risk factors for depression in a primary care setting. The risk factors that were measured in this study included (a) specific medical diagnoses, (b) certain medications, (c) self-reported functional impairment, (d) self-reported poor health, and (e) pain. In addition, self-efficacy and social support were examined as variables moderating the relationships between the risk factors and depression. The relationships among the variables were examined using linear and logistic regression analyses and structural equation modeling, with hypotheses that physical health would predict depression, and social support and self-efficacy would affect an individual's risk for depression in the face of indicators of poor physical health. Health-related variables and moderators accounted for 49% to 64% of the variance in depression scale scores and 21% to 57% of the variance in provisional diagnoses of depression. Factors that were found to be associated with risk for depression included being female, having a low or moderate level of education, reporting impaired social or role functioning, reporting poor health, and reporting pain. Social support and self-efficacy were also relatively good predictors of depression, but did not consistently act as moderators in the relationship between health and depression. Overall, health predictors provided better explanations for current depression than for future depressive symptoms or diagnoses, although some evidence was found for longitudinal relationships. Results from this study suggest that physical health and depression are related in primary care patients. The use of multiple indicators of a patient's physical health status is likely to facilitate more accurate prediction of a patient's depressive symptoms, diagnostic status, or both, than are single indicators. The association between health and depression is discussed in terms of potential biological and psychological pathways for this relationship. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Psychology". |
| Physical Description: | x, 136 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-98). |