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Hormone Therapy Does Not Affect Depression Severity in Older Women

Received January 7, 2004; revised May 11, July 14, 2004; accepted July 21, 2004. From the Duke University Medical Center, Duke University School of Medicine, Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC. Send correspondence and reprint requests to Lori A. Bastian, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine, Health Services Research and Development, 152 VA Med Ctr, 508 Fulton St., Durham, NC 27705. e-mail: basti001{at}mc.duke.edu
© 2005 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry

Objective: Although estrogens are thought to have a beneficial effect on menopausal symptoms, the role of estrogen in the etiology and treatment of depression in older women remains unclear. The authors examined the relationship between hormone therapy (HT) use and depressive symptom severity. Methods: Authors report the findings from a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Improving Mood: Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment (IMPACT) Study, using data from 1,160 women age 60 years and older. Results: Women who were taking HT were likely to be younger, White, married, and to have had at least some college education. They were also more likely to report good or better health and to have taken antidepressant medications in the past 3 months. Although HT use was associated with more severe depressive symptoms in the unadjusted analysis, it was not associated with depression severity in adjusted analyses. Although there was a trend for a differential effect of college education with HT use on depression scores, no significant interaction was found between HT and race. Conclusion: There was no evidence to suggest that women HT users differ from non-HT users in depressive symptom severity.

Key Words: Hormone Replacement Therapy • Estrogen • Depression