“Niveles de depresión y su relación con la memoria autobiográfica en adultos mayores”

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the relationship between depression levels and autobiographical memory in older adults, identify the level of depression prevalent in older adults, establish the predominant type of memory in the autobiographical memory of the elderly and differentiate the types of memories autobiographical that predominate in the different levels of depression of the elderly. Materials and methods: This research is quantitative, correlational and cross-sectional, psychological instruments were applied to 72 older adults belonging to the province of Tungurahua, in its capital Ambato was carried out in the Centers for Comprehensive Adult Care Mayor (CIAM) located in the Parishes of Picaihua and Atahualpa; and also in the Cevallos Canton belonging to the same province, the Geriatric-Yesavage Depression Scale was used to measure the depression variable and the Williams and Broadben Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT) was used to measure autobiographical memory. Results: It was determined that if there is a low negative correlation between depression levels and autobiographical memory in older adults, 50% of older adults did not show depression, 36.1% had moderate depression and 13.9% severe depression; 41.7% correspond to an extended type of memory, 27.8% predominated specific memories, 18.1% had a categorical type of memory, 6.9% scored with omissions, and only 5.6% had semantic associations. Conclusions: It is concluded that the higher the level of depression, the lower the specificity in the evocation of autobiographical memories and vice versa, the depression rate in this population of older adults is very high, 50% have moderate to severe depression, also in the population in older adults there is a lot of difficulty in evoking specific memories.