Depressive symptom was frequently reported in older adults with chronic conditions (Song, Ward, Hladik, Bridgman, & Gilet, 2016), and it was found to be significantly associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and its progression (Jung, Seok, Kim, Song, & Choi, 2018; Rathbun, Yau, Shardel, Stuart, & Hochberg, 2017). Evidence from previous studies demonstrated factors including knee pain severity and fatigue were associated with depressive symptom or mood in persons with knee OA (Han, Lee, Kang, & Chang, 2016; Smith & Parmelee, 2016). However, very few studies have investigated the magnitude of depressive symptom and its predicting factors among Thai older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Our study sorted to examine the prevalence of depressive symptom and investigate the predictive factors of depressive symptom among older adults with knee OA.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was employed. 119 community-dwelling older adults who met the following inclusion criteria: age 60 or over; knee OA based on the American College of Rheumatology criteria; no cognitive impairment; and independent in performing activities of daily life, were recruited to participate in this study. Data collection were carried out by using: 1) Health Information Record Form, 2) the Knee Severity Scale, 3) The Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue, and 4) the Geriatric Depression Scale-15. Descriptive statistics and Logistic regression were performed for data analysis; a significant level was set at p < .05.
Results:
An average age of participants was 66.45 year (SD = 7.47). Most of them were female (84%). Among all participants, 47.89% of participants had depressive symptom. When age, severity of knee OA symptom, number of comorbidities, and fatigue were selected as predictors of depressive symptom, only age and fatigue were uniquely significant predictors (odds ratio = 1.07, 95%CI 1.009-1.132; 1.08, 95%CI 1.026-1.142, respectively).
Conclusion:
Depressive symptom was found as a high prevalence and it increases with advancing age. Moreover, an increase in fatigue level led to an increase in depressive symptom among overweight and diabetic older adults with knee osteoarthritis.