MEDICAL ILLNESS BURDEN, TRAIT NEUROTICISM, AND DEPRESSION IN OLDER PRIMARY-CARE PATIENTS

Objective: The authors tested the hypotheses that medical illness burd en is independently associated with depression and that this associati on is moderated by neuroticism. Method: Multiple regression techniques were used to determine the independent associations of medical burden and neuroticism with depression in a group of 196 subjects, 60 years of age and older, recruited from primary care settings. Results: Medic al burden and neuroticism were independently associated with major dep ression, depressive symptoms, and psychiatric dysfunction. Conclusions : These findings support models in which medical disorders may contrib ute directly to depression. At the same time, the role of neuroticism in later-life depression warrants further study.