Academic Journal
Depressive symptomology across adult age groups: differences in PHQ-9 symptom endorsement in a US sample.
| Title: | Depressive symptomology across adult age groups: differences in PHQ-9 symptom endorsement in a US sample. |
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| Authors: | Walker TJ; Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA., Brody LA; Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA., Renn BN; Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA. |
| Source: | Aging & mental health [Aging Ment Health] 2026 Jul; Vol. 30 (7), pp. 1665-1675. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Feb 15. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Routledge Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9705773 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1364-6915 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13607863 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Aging Ment Health Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Abingdon : Routledge : Taylor & Francis Group Original Publication: Abingdon ; Cambridge, MA : Carfax, c1997- |
| MeSH Terms: | Depression*/epidemiology , Depression*/diagnosis , Major Depressive Disorder*/epidemiology , Major Depressive Disorder*/diagnosis , Patient Health Questionnaire* , Aging*, United States/epidemiology ; Humans ; Aged ; Female ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged, 80 and over ; Age Factors ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Nutrition Surveys |
| Abstract: | Objectives: Longstanding clinical wisdom in geriatrics asserts that depressive symptom presentation varies between older and younger adults. However, these observations are based on data from one to two decades ago. The shifting demography across different birth cohorts necessitates an updated examination. Method: This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed interview data from the 2017 to 2020 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Depressive symptoms were assessed from 8325 participants aged 18 and older via the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). PHQ-9 scores were used to classify a subset of participants with symptoms of a major and/or minor depressive episode based on DSM-5-TR criteria. Participants were categorized into four age groups (youngest, young/middle-aged, older, and oldest old adults) to test associations of age with depressive symptom endorsement. Results: Membership in the oldest age group (age 76 and older) was associated with lower endorsement of depressed mood relative to the youngest and young/middle-aged adults among those reporting symptoms of a major depressive episode. We did not find any age group differences in somatic or other symptom endorsement for those with either major or minor depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Analyses of more recently collected data are required to maintain a dynamic life course perspective in the geriatric mental health literature. These analyses are one such attempt at updating the literature on depressive disorder phenomenology among adults in the United States. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Depression; aging; cohort differences; diagnosis; geriatric |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260216 Date Completed: 20260701 Latest Revision: 20260701 |
| Update Code: | 20260701 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13607863.2026.2622524 |
| PMID: | 41693326 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1364-6915 |
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| DOI: | 10.1080/13607863.2026.2622524 |