Abstract： Objective To investigate the screening of elderly patients with post?stroke depression (PSD) and to analyze risk factors. Methods In this prospective study, 220 elderly patients with ischemic stroke were enrolled. At one month after onset, 214 aged patients completed follow?up. According to the DSM?IV diagnosis standard, the patients were divided into PSD and non?PSD groups. Seventeen items of the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) was used to evaluate the degree of depression, and the patients were divided into mild, moderate, and severe depression groups. The demographic and baseline clinical characteristics were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the risk factors of PSD in individuals. Results (1) Of the 214 aged patients with ischemic stroke who completed follow?up, 84 had PSD including 29 (34.52%) men and 55 (65.48%) women. The detection rate of PSD was 39.25%. According to the HAMD, 51 (60.72%) aged patients were diagnosed with mild depression, 25 (29.76%) with moderate depression, and 8 (9.52%) with serious depression. (2) Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age (>75 years old), female sex, joblessness, being divorced or widowed, having cerebral microbleeds, experiencing social and family environment tension, having low cultural exposure, having moderate and severe neurologic deficits, and having a left?side lesion were the independent risk factors of PSD in elderly patients. Conclusion PSD is common in elderly patients. Evaluation of these risk factors can help identify aged patients at high risk for PSD to allow early intervention, which is worth promoting in clinical work.