An examination of depression in the spouses of stroke patients.

Examined the prevalence and correlates of depression in the spouses (SPs [mean age 61.8 yrs]) of 41 stroke patients (SPTs [mean age 65.6 yrs]). SPs reported their own mood on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and rated their partners' (the SPTs') mood using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). A clinician evaluated the SPTs' mood using the HRSD and their cognitive/language and physical impairments using a battery of neuropsychological tests. Results indicated that 44% of the SPs were depressed. SP depression was not correlated with the severity of the SPTs' physical, cognitive, or language impairments. However, the SPs' perception of the SPTs' mood was a better predictor of the SPs' mood than was the clinicians' evaluation of the SPTs' mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)