A Study on Screening for Depressive Disorders in the Geriatric Population of Jowai, Meghalaya

A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of depressive disorders among the elderly people of Jowai, Meghalaya. It also studied the socio-demographic and comorbid chronic conditions and other factors associated to their living condition. The sample size was 77 and non-probability purposive sampling technique was used. The data were collected by interviewing the subjects using a three part questionnaire’s which consists of a personal details and general household schedule which were developed by Dr. Ankur Burau consisting of 20 items questions, which were used for our study with his kind permission. UDAI PAREKHS socio-economic status scale which consists of 10 items and WHO Well-Being Index consisting of five items was used for the study. The findings showed that the prevalence of depressive disorders was 33% among individuals. It was more prevalent in the females (40%) as against the males (25%). The study also revealed that depressive disorders were high among the individuals belonging to low socio-economic status (47.4%). The study showed high prevalence of depressive disorders among those elderly individuals who had 3-4 comorbid conditions (41%).