Association between Stroke Status and Depression in a Community Setting: The 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Previous studies have examined the risk factors for depression in stroke patients, but little information is available on the relationship between stroke status and depression in the community-dwelling general population. We evaluated the association between stroke status and depression using representative nationwide data.

METHODS: In total, 3,487 subjects (aged ≥40 years) who participated in version VI-2 of the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) performed in 2014 were included. We compared the prevalence of depression in 120 community-dwelling stroke patients and 3,367 nonstroke controls using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

RESULTS: The prevalence of depression (PHQ-9 score ≥10) was 16.7% in stroke patients and 6.4% in controls. In the unadjusted model, depression was more common in stroke patients than in nonstroke controls [odds ratio (OR), 2.95; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.79-4.86]. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health-related behaviors, and comorbidities, stroke diagnosis was a significant risk factor for depression (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.06-3.24). Specifically, a diagnosis of stroke in patients aged <60 years (OR, 3.82; 95% CI, 1.81-8.09) and the presence of stroke complications (OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.25-6.13) remained significant risk factors for depression even after adjusting for potential confounders.

CONCLUSIONS: In a community setting, poststroke survivors had a higher prevalence of depression, and stroke was an independent risk factor for depression. Public psychosocial interventions are needed to improve the mental health care of community-dwelling stroke survivors.