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Depressive Symptoms and Nine-Year Survival of 1,001 Male Veterans Hospitalized With Medical Illness

Received August 20, 1997; accepted February 9, 1998. From The Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina. Address correspondence to Dr. Koenig, Box 3400, Duke Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.

Authors examined effects of depressive symptoms on after-discharge survival of hospitalized medically ill male veterans. Psychosocial and physical health evaluations were performed on a consecutive sample of 1,001 patients ages 20–39 (16%) and 65–102 years (84%). Subjects or surviving family members were later contacted by telephone, and Cox proportional-hazards regression modeled the effects of depressive symptoms on time-to-death, controlling for demographics and social, psychiatric, and physical health. Follow-up was obtained on all 1,001 patients (average observation time, 9 years), during which 667 patients died (67%). Patients with depressive symptoms were significantly less likely to survive. For every 1-point increase on the 12-item Brief Carroll Depression Rating Scale (BCDRS), the hazard of dying increased by 10% (P<0.0001). Age did not significantly affect the association between depressive symptoms and mortality. Depressive symptoms during acute hospitalization are a predictor of shortened survival.

Key Words: Depression • Medical Comorbidity • Inpatients

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