What do network members know? Network members as reporters of depression among Caucasian-American and African-American older women

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether family members and friends can be accurate reporters of depression in older women and whether their reports predict diagnostic depression concurrently and across a one-year time interval.

Method: African-American and Caucasian older women (N = 153; mean age = 75) previously screened for depression nominated network members (NMs) who could be contacted as informants. NMs completed an informant version of the CES-D, described their closeness to the participant, the extent of the participant's support from family and friends, and their assessment of the participant's typical coping strategies. These reports were then used to predict participant CES-D, Hamilton depression scores, and Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) depression diagnoses concurrently and at six-month and one-year intervals.

Results: NMs’ estimates of participants CES-D status were highly correlated with participants own CES-D scores, and also predicted Hamilton depression scores and SCID diagnoses concurrently and at six months and one year later. NMs’ ratings of participants’ use of positive coping also predicted depression at six months and one year.

Conclusion: NMs knew when elderly women were depressed and their reports were accurate predictors of depression even one year later, which implies that elderly depression does not abate spontaneously. Future research should test the possibility that family and friends might be recruited as allies in encouraging earlier treatment and in providing support to older adults through difficult life transitions.

Keywords:

• depression
• proxy reporters
• older women
• informant CES-D ratings

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by NIH RO1-MH49086-02 to Kenneth Heller and Ralph Swindle. Data collection for this study was initiated and conducted prior to Dr. Swindle's employment at Eli Lilly and Company, and is not funded by Eli Lilly except for company permission for Dr. Swindle to participate as a co-author.