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Disruptive Vocalization and Depression in Older Nursing Home Residents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2005

Michael Dwyer  and
Gerard J. A. Byrne
Michael Dwyer
Affiliation:
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia
Gerard J. A. Byrne
Affiliation:
University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
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Abstract

Screaming and other types of disruptive vocalization are commonly observed among nursing home residents. Depressive symptoms are also frequently seen in this group, although the relationship between disruptive vocalization and depressive symptoms is unclear. Accordingly, we sought to examine this relationship in older nursing home residents. We undertook a controlled comparison of 41 vocally disruptive nursing home residents and 43 non-vocally-disruptive nursing home residents. All participants were selected to have Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores of at least 10. Participants had a mean age of 81.0 years (range 63-97 years) and had a mean MMSE score of 17.8 (range 10-29). Nurse ratings of disruptive vocalization according to a semioperationalized definition were validated against the noisy behavior subscale of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory. Subjects were independently rated for depressive symptoms by a psychiatrist using the Dementia Mood Assessment Scale, the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, and the Depressive Signs Scale. Vocally disruptive nursing home residents scored significantly higher than controls on each of these three depresion-in-dementia scales. These differences remained significant when the effects of possible confounding variables of cognitive impairment, age, and sex were removed. We conclude that depressive symptoms are associated with disruptive vocalization and may have an etiological role in the generation of disruptive vocalization behaviors in elderly nursing home residents.

Type
Articles
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , December 2000 , pp. 463 - 471
Copyright
© 2000 International Psychogeriatric Association

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