In conclusion, the present research demonstrates that combinations of traits influence risk for depression in the frail elderly. Our findings suggest that assessment of all five personality domains could improve the quality of care in geriatric depression and underscore the need for prevention studies that target participants who are high in Neuroticism and low in Conscientiousness. To gain a better, more nuanced understanding of depression and to be able to better predict who is at risk for major or minor depression requires the assessment of the full FFM and other clinical measures. Studying how these factors work synergistically and examining predictors that are common to and unique to different mood disorders will enable us to understand the biopsychosocial causes of depression and help insure the psychological and perhaps even the physical well-being of the oldest members of our communities.
