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Brief-Time-Series Analysis of Depressive Symptomatology in Older People

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2014

Juan Francisco Rodríguez-Testal  and
María Valdés Díaz
Juan Francisco Rodríguez-Testal*
Affiliation:
University of Seville
María Valdés Díaz
Affiliation:
University of Seville
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Juan Francisco Rodríguez-Testal, Dpto. De Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamientos Psicológicos, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Sevilla, C/ Camilo José Cela, s/n, 41018 Sevilla, Spain. E-mail: testal@us.es
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Abstract

This research shows the utility of systematic data-gathering from older people and of a statistical analysis procedure for interpreting the data. Four cases of institutionalized older people are presented, and their scores of depressive symptomatology over a period of one to two years is analyzed. Time-series analysis showed a significant positive trend of depression symptomatology in two of the cases, perhaps too subtle for detection in routine clinical check-up, but statistically verifiable. In one of these cases, none of the factors of the scale stands out, despite the fact that the general index shows a statistically significant change over the 36 observations made, so that the results obtained are related to the syndrome of depletion or exhaustion. In the second of the cases, we detect a significant change in the depressive mood factor, which may indicate a subclinical depressive form in its initial stages. Continuous registers can reveal valuable information about situations and progress in the evolution of an older person's mood, with regard to natural development, the prelude to a mood disorder, or follow-up in clinical cases.

Este trabajo de investigación muestra la utilidad de la recogida sistemática de información en personas de edad avanzada así como un procedimiento de análisis estadístico para la interpretación de la misma. Se presentan cuatro casos de ancianos institucionalizados y se analizan las puntuaciones obtenidas en sintomatología depresiva durante un periodo de entre uno y casi dos años. El análisis de series temporales muestra una tendencia significativa al alza de la sintomatología depresiva en dos de los casos, tal vez sutil para exploraciones clínicas rutinarias, pero demostrable desde un punto de vista estadístico. En uno de estos casos no destaca ninguno de los factores sintomáticos de la escala, a pesar de que el índice general muestra un cambio estadísticamente significativo a lo largo de las 36 observaciones realizadas, por lo que los resultados obtenidos se relacionan con el síndrome de depleción o agotamiento. En el segundo de los casos, se detecta un cambio significativo en el factor del estado de ánimo depresivo, por lo que puede tratarse de una forma depresiva subclínica en sus inicios. Un registro continuado puede revelar información valiosa acerca de lo que sucede en la evolución anímica de una persona de edad avanzada, sea como desarrollo anímico natural, como preludio de una alteración del humor o como seguimiento de casos clínicos.

Keywords

depressionsymptomatologytime-seriesold agestressdepletiondepresiónsintomatologíaseries temporalesvejezestrésdepleción
Type
Articles
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , May 2003 , pp. 35 - 50
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003

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