A Comparative Study of Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Depressive Symptoms in Two Long-Lived Elderly Populations in Brazil

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate and compare the prevalence and risk factors associated with depressive symptoms among long-lived elderly, aged 80 and over, in two Brazilian populations. Face-to-face interviews were performed with 417 seniors: 179 living in the poor and rural town of Brejo dos Santos, Paraíba, and 238 in one of the largest urban centers in Latin America, the city of São Paulo, São Paulo. In the rural region of Brejo dos Santos, these depressive symptoms were more associated with the family support network, co-residence, and the number of members of the social network; in São Paulo, on the other hand, depression is more associated with the elderly's difficulty in performing basic and instrumental daily-living activities and with their overall satisfaction with life. From the results obtained, it was possible to verify that a very significant portion of the longevous elderly in Brejo dos Santos, Paraíba, have symptoms that suggest depression, and it is necessary to further investigate environmental and genetic factors that could explain this observation, given that this community has a high frequency of consanguinity.