Publications [#255994] of Linda K. George

Papers Published

1. Koenig, HG; George, LK; Larson, DB; McCullough, ME; Branch, PS; Kuchibhatla, M (1999). Depressive Symptoms and Nine-Year Survival of 1010 Male Veterans Hospitalized with Medical Illness. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 7(2), 376-382..
   (last updated on 2024/04/23)

   Abstract:
   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.