Impact of Depression on Age-related Decline of Language Abilities in the Elderly

Abstract

Background：The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of depression on age-related decline in language ability across various language domains in community-dwelling elderly. Methods：Sixty-three depressed elderly(DE) and 219 healthy elderly(HE) participated in the present study. Expressive, receptive, and pragmatic language abilities were assessed in each participant. A multiple regression analysis was performed adjusting for age, gender and education level. In order to investigate differences in decline of age-related language abilities between the two groups, regression coefficients for age in each group were compared. Results：Language performance declined significantly by age in both groups. DE showed significantly steeper rate of decline than HE for the verb naming test(β=-0.133, p=0.002) and the listening comprehension test(β =-0.100, p=0.039). Conclusions：The results of the present study provide evidence that DE individuals show a greater slope of decline in language abilities than HE individuals. Differential interpretation of the results of language assessment between those with depression and those without are warranted for consultation and intervention accordingly.