Clin Gerontol. 2025 Jul 14:1-11. doi: 10.1080/07317115.2025.2532526. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between polypharmacy and depressive symptoms among U.S. community-dwelling older adults and whether it varied by gender.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective population-based analysis of 3,354 adults aged 65 and older using data from the 2009 Health and Retirement Study Health and Well-Being Study. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more prescription medications. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 8-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-8). Negative binomial regression models assessed associations between polypharmacy and depressive symptoms and whether the relationship varied by gender.
RESULTS: Over 40% of participants reported polypharmacy. In unadjusted models, polypharmacy was positively related to depressive symptoms (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR] = 1.44, p < .01). In models adjusting for demographic and health characteristics, there was no statistically significant relationship between polypharmacy and depressive symptoms (Adjusted Incidence Rate Ratio [AIRR] = 0.99, p > .05). There were no significant gender differences in unadjusted or adjusted models in the relationship between polypharmacy and depressive symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy was not related to depressive symptoms among older women or men.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Interventions to address physical health may be more salient to depression management than polypharmacy regardless of gender.
PMID:40654053 | DOI:10.1080/07317115.2025.2532526
