ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2019
Depressive Symptoms and Total Healthcare Costs: Roles of Functional Limitations and Multimorbidity.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of coenzyme Q10 supplementation on depressive symptoms and anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- International depiction of the cost of functional independence limitations among older adults living in the community: a systematic review and cost-of-impairment study.BMC geriatrics · 2022Pooled it
- Depression and Multimorbidity among Older Indians Residing in Front-Runner, Achiever and Aspirant States: Insight from Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) - Wave I.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine · 2026Article
- Disentangling depression in women with diabetes: evidence for measure-dependent associations with interleukin-4 and common inflammatory biomarkers.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- The association between widowhood duration and depressive symptoms among Chinese older adults: mediation role of sleeping duration and dietary diversity.European journal of ageing · 2025Article
- Heterogeneous depressive symptom trajectories among women with type 2 diabetes: findings from the Women's Interagency HIV Study.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2025Article
- Multimorbidity.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2022Review
- Cognitive impairment and low physical function among older Mexican Americans: findings from a 20-year follow-upAnnals of epidemiology · 2022Article
- Changes in Health Care Use Among Undocumented Patients, 2014-2018.JAMA network open · 2021Article
- Article
- Emotional avoidance and social support interact to predict depression symptom severity one year after traumatic exposure.Psychiatry research · 2020Article
- Multimorbidity in General Practice: Unmet Care Needs From a Patient Perspective.Frontiers in medicine · 2020Article
- Study Protocol Using Cohort Data and Latent Variable Modeling to Guide Sampling Women With Type 2 Diabetes and Depressive Symptoms.Nursing researchArticle
- Changes in Older Adults' Frequency of Going Outside between 2020 and 2021: Associations with Health Status and Environmental Factors.Clinical gerontologistArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesDepressive symptoms can be both a cause and a consequence of functional limitations and medical conditions. Our objectives were to determine the association of depressive symptoms with subsequent total healthcare costs in older women after accounting for functional limitations and multimorbidity.
designProspective cohort study (Study of Osteoporotic Fractures [SOF]).
settingFour US sites.
participantsA total of 2508 community-dwelling women (mean age = 79.4 years) participating in the SOF year 10 (Y10) examination linked with their Medicare claims data. MEASUREMENTS: At Y10, depressive symptoms were measured using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and functional limitations were assessed by number (range = 0-5) of impairments in performing instrumental activities of daily living. Multimorbidity was ascertained by the Elixhauser method using claims data for the 12 months preceding the Y10 examination. Total direct healthcare costs, outpatient costs, acute hospital stays, and skilled nursing facility during the 12 months following the Y10 examination were ascertained from claims data.
resultsAnnualized mean (SD) total healthcare costs were $4654 ($9075) in those with little or no depressive symptoms (GDS score = 0-1), $7871 ($14 534) in those with mild depressive symptoms (GDS score = 2-5), and $9010 ($15 578) in those with moderate to severe depressive symptoms (GDS score = 6 or more). After adjustment for age, site, self-reported functional limitations, and multimorbidity, the magnitudes of these incremental costs were partially attenuated (cost ratio = 1.34 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 1.14-1.59] for those with mild depressive symptoms, and cost ratio = 1.29 [95% CI = 0.99-1.69] for those with moderate to severe depressive symptoms vs women with little or no depressive symptoms).
conclusionDepressive symptoms were associated with higher subsequent healthcare costs attributable, in part, to greater functional limitations and multimorbidity among those with symptoms. Importantly, even mild depressive symptoms were associated with higher healthcare costs. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:1596-1603, 2019.
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