Table 3.
Characteristics of Persons According to Themes Raised in Semistructured Interviews (n = 48)
| Characteristics | “My doctor just picked it up” n = 6 | “I’m a good patient” n = 8 | “They just check out your heart and things” n = 7 | “They’ll just send you to a psychiatrist” n = 6 |
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||||
| Age, mean y (SD) | 73.3 (3.3) | 77.5 (4.2) | 75.1 (7.8) | 71.3 (6.3) |
| Women, No. (%)* | 6 (100) | 6 (75) | 4 (57) | 4 (67) |
| African American, No. (%)* | 2 (33) | 3 (38) | 2 (28) | 3 (50) |
| Education less than high school, No. (%)* | 2 (33) | 3 (38) | 2 (28) | 2 (33) |
| Psychological status | ||||
| CES-D score, mean (SD) | 19.0 (11.8) | 11.9 (7.4) | 15.3 (9.6) | 14.0 (10.3) |
| BAI score, mean (SD) | 10.5 (4.9) | 10.0 (9.1) | 6.4 (4.5) | 6.8 (3.8) |
| BHS score, mean (SD) | 4.8 (4.9) | 3.8 (3.1) | 4.6 (3.7) | 5.7 (3.1) |
| Cognitive status | ||||
| MMSE score, mean (SD) | 28.7 (1.2) | 27.5 (2.2) | 28.9 (0.7) | 27.8 (1.7) |
| Physical health | ||||
| Physical function score, mean (SD) | 64.2 (21.5) | 63.6 (31.0) | 71.3 (24.8) | 56.7 (28.2) |
| Role physical score, mean (SD) | 45.8 (36.8) | 65.6 (35.2) | 46.4 (44.3) | 29.2 (29.2) |
| Role emotional score, mean (SD) | 88.9 (27.2) | 72.3 (39.8) | 50.0 (50.0) | 83.3 (40.8) |
| Social function score, mean (SD) | 75.0 (17.7) | 70.3 (34.0) | 62.5 (27.0) | 72.9 (21.5) |
| Bodily pain score, mean (SD) | 61.3 (17.7) | 55.0 (25.8) | 50.4 (26.1) | 43.8 (24.2) |
| General health perception score, mean (SD) | 41.7 (15.7) | 61.3 (17.5) | 54.3 (16.4) | 42.5 (14.4) |
| No. of medical conditions, mean (SD) | 8.7 (0.8) | 6.6 (2.9) | 8.0 (3.1) | 8.0 (2.3) |
| No. of visits within 6 months, mean (SD) | 2.5 (1.0) | 2.8 (1.4) | 2.6 (1.5) | 2.8 (1.5) |
| Discussion of depression with physician | ||||
| Doctor understood how you feel, No. (%)* | 5 (83) | 4 (50) | 1 (14) | 3 (50) |
| Has discussed feelings with doctor, No. (%)* | 5 (83) | 3 (38) | 1 (14) | 2 (33) |
| Physician ratings at index visit | ||||
| Physician rates the patient as depressed, No. (%)* | 6 (100) | 3 (38) | 4 (57) | 6 (100) |
| Physician knows the patient very well, No. (%)* | 5 (83) | 6 (75) | 4 (57) | 4 (67) |
Note: Data From the Spectrum Study (2001–2004).
* Column percents.
BAI = Beck Anxiety Inventory; CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; MMSE = Mini-Mental State Examination.