Assessment of depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment in elders from rural areas of the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to examine the relationships among demographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, and cognitive impairment in oldest-old elders from rural areas of the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design was used to conduct the study.

SAMPLE: 137 Brazilian elders age 80 years or over.

MEASUREMENTS: A target population data form, a county data form, a demographic questionnaire, the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the Depressive Cognition Scale were used to collect the data.

RESULTS: A significant difference was found between males and females in regard to cognitive impairment. In addition, educational level and depressive symptoms were correlated with cognitive impairment. Depressive symptoms were a weak but significant predictor of cognitive impairment after controlling for the effect of age, gender, and educational level of the oldest-old elders.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings need to be interpreted cautiously since the sample scored above the cutoff points for cognitive impairment, and had low scores on depressive symptoms. Despite several limitations, findings from this study can be a foundation for further studies, and well-designed correlational or experimental approaches, are warranted.