Factors Associated with Depression in Prefrail and Frail Older Adults at the Naval Medical Center of Callao, Peru

Background: Frailty is a condition that affects multiple bodily systems, increasing the risk of disability. Understanding its bidirectional relationship with depression and associated factors is key to improving interventions for patients. Objectives: To identify factors associated with depression in older adults with frailty or pre-frailty. Methodology: This observational, analytical, and retrospective study analyzed data from 1,284 participants in the “CEMENA Frail Study.” The chi-square test was used for bivariate analysis, and a Poisson regression with robust variance was performed to identify factors associated with depression (Stata v16.0), calculating crude and adjusted prevalence ratios. All calculations were conducted with a 95% confidence level. Results: Among patients with depressive symptoms, 64.47% had frailty. Frailty (RPa= 1.62; 95% CI [1.53-1.72]) and complex multimorbidity (RPa= 2.25; 95% CI [1.36-3.70]) were independently associated with depression. Conclusion: The main factor associated with depression in frail patients was complex multimorbidity. Additionally the severity of frailty predisposes this population to depressive symptoms.