Patterns and Predictors of Depression Treatment among Stroke Survivors with Depression in Ambulatory Settings in the United States

Goal: Despite the importance of treating depression, little is known regarding the current practice pattern of depression treatment among older adults with stroke and depression. We used national survey data from ambulatory settings to examine the depression treatment patterns and predictors among stroke survivors in the United States (US). Materials and Methods: We used a cross-sectional study design by pooling multiple-year data (2005-2011) from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and the outpatient department of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. Older adults (age ≥50 years) with stroke and depression constituted the final study sample. Depression treatment defined as antidepressant use with or without psychotherapy was the dependent variable in this study. All analyses adjusted for the complex survey design of the datasets to obtain nationally representative estimates. Findings: The overall depression treatment was observed in 47.32% of the study sample, mainly driven by antidepressant use alone. An overwhelming majority used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (77% of overall antidepressant use), and sertraline was the most prescribed antidepressant (30.5% of overall antidepressant use). Gender, race or ethnicity, region of residence, number of medications recorded at the sampled visit, and number of chronic conditions were significantly associated with depression treatment. Conclusion: According to this nationally representative sample, approximately 1 in 2 stroke survivors with depression received depression treatment in ambulatory care settings in the US. Appropriate interventions should be developed to optimize depression treatment.