Volume 9, Issue 2 (December 2023)
Elderly Health Journal 2023, 9(2): 59-63 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Ozluk A, Oner C, Cetin H, Simsek E E. The Frequency of Psychological Symptoms in the Elderly: A Cross-Sectional Field Study in Istanbul, Turkey. Elderly Health Journal 2023; 9 (2) :59-63
URL: http://ehj.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-300-en.html
URL: http://ehj.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-300-en.html
Department of Family Medicine, Health Sciences University Kartal Dr Lutfi Kırdar City Hospital, Istanbul, Turkiye , drcanoner@gmail.com
Abstract: (1553 Views)
Introduction: Various reports have documented the psychological issues that affect the elderly. According to estimates, approximately 20% of the geriatric population experiences at least one psychological symptom or disorder. The aim of this study is to establish the frequency of psychological symptoms in the elderly population in İstanbul, Turkey.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 350 participants aged 65 and over, between 01.02.2019 and 19.07.2019. The psychiatric symptoms of the participants were evaluated with the Symptom Check List-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) test.
Results: Psychological symptoms are present in 32.9% of the elderly population. The prevalence of depressive symptoms is 32.9% and the rate of obsessions is 26.6%. Somatization is present in 13.4% of cases, while interpersonal sensitivity is observed in 8.9% of cases. The paranoid symptom rate is 10.6%. While 6.9% of the participants have possible anger disorder symptoms, the rate of participants with anxiety symptoms is 6.6%. The rate of participants with probable phobic symptoms is 5.4%, and the rate of those with psychotic symptoms is 4.0%.
Conclusion: Psychiatric problems encountered in old age negatively affect the quality of life. Because the most common psychological symptoms were depression, obsession, and somatization, family physicians should conduct screenings for possible mental problems in elderly individuals registered with them, regardless of the reason.
Corresponding Author: Can Oner
View Orcid in Profile
You can search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar Profile
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 350 participants aged 65 and over, between 01.02.2019 and 19.07.2019. The psychiatric symptoms of the participants were evaluated with the Symptom Check List-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) test.
Results: Psychological symptoms are present in 32.9% of the elderly population. The prevalence of depressive symptoms is 32.9% and the rate of obsessions is 26.6%. Somatization is present in 13.4% of cases, while interpersonal sensitivity is observed in 8.9% of cases. The paranoid symptom rate is 10.6%. While 6.9% of the participants have possible anger disorder symptoms, the rate of participants with anxiety symptoms is 6.6%. The rate of participants with probable phobic symptoms is 5.4%, and the rate of those with psychotic symptoms is 4.0%.
Conclusion: Psychiatric problems encountered in old age negatively affect the quality of life. Because the most common psychological symptoms were depression, obsession, and somatization, family physicians should conduct screenings for possible mental problems in elderly individuals registered with them, regardless of the reason.
Corresponding Author: Can Oner
View Orcid in Profile
You can search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar Profile
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
General
Received: 2023/06/21 | Accepted: 2023/11/22 | Published: 2023/12/14
Received: 2023/06/21 | Accepted: 2023/11/22 | Published: 2023/12/14
References
1. Hessel A, Geyer M, Brahler E. Psychische beschwerden im alter - standardisierung der symptomcheckliste SCL-90-R bei über 60-Jährigen. Zeitschrift für Gerontologie Und Geriatrie, 2001; 34(6): 498-508.
2. Djernes JK. Prevalence and predictors of depression in populations of elderly: a review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2006; 113(5): 372-87.
3. Kirmizioglu Y, Doğan O, Kuğu N, Akyüz G. Prevalence of anxiety disorders among elderly people. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2009; 24(9): 1026-33.
4. Du W, Zhou J, Liu J, Yang X, Wang H, He M, et al. Social-demographic correlates of the mental health conditions among the Chinese elderly. Sustainability. 2019; 11(24): 1-13.
5. Derogatis LR. SCL-90-R: administration, scoring, and procedures manual. 3rd ed. Minneapolis: National Computer Systems; 1994.
6. Dağ, I. Belirti tarama listesi (Scl-90-R)'nin üniversite öğrencileri için güvenirliği ve geçerliği. Türk Psikiyatri Dergisi. 1991; 2(1): 5–12. (Turkish)
7. Abdoli N, Salari N, Darvishi N, Jafarpour S, Solaymani M, Mohammadi M, et al. The global prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) among the elderly: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. 2022; 132: 1067-73.
8. Luo Y, Li Y, Xie J, Duan Y, Gan G, Zhou Y, ,et al. Symptoms of depression are related to sedentary behavior and sleep duration in elderly individuals: A cross-sectional study of 49,317 older Chinese adults. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2022; 308: 407-12.
9. Yaman G, Kayikçioğlu E, Hocaoglu C. Examınatıon of mental symptoms, anger, and death anxıety ın elderly cancer patıents. Turkish Journal Geriatriics. 2023; 26(3): 302-13.
10. Callander EJ, Schofield DJ. Psychological distress increases the risk of falling into poverty amongst older Australians: the overlooked costs-of-illness. BMC Psychology. 2018; 6(1): 1-9.
11. De Jonge P, Roest AM, Lim CC, Florescu SE, Bromet EJ, Stein DJ, etal. Cross-national epidemiology of panic disorder and panic attacks in the world mental health surveys. Depression and Anxiety. 2016; 33(12): 1155-77.
12. Büchtemann D, Luppa M, Bramesfeld A, Riedel-Heller S. Incidence of late-life depression: a systematic review. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2012; 142(1-3): 172-9.
13. Wedgeworth M, LaRocca MA, Chaplin WF, Scogin F. The role of interpersonal sensitivity, social support, and quality of life in rural older adults. Geriatric Nursing. 2017; 38(1): 22-6.
14. Ruscio AM, Stein DJ, Chiu WT, Kessler RC. The epidemiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the national comorbidity survey replication. Molecular Psychiatry. 2010; 15(1): 53-63.
15. Canuto A, Weber K, Baertschi M, Andreas S, Volkert J, Dehoust MC, et al. Anxiety disorders in old age: psychiatric comorbidities, quality of life, and prevalence according to age, gender, and country. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2018; 26(2): 174-85.
16. Cath DC, Nizar K, Boomsma D, Mathews CA. Age-specific prevalence of hoarding and obsessive compulsive disorder: a population-based study. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2017; 25(3): 245–55.
17. Wardenaar KJ, Lim CCW, Al-Hamzawi AO, Alonso J, Andrade LH, Benjet C, et al. The cross-national epidemiology of specific phobia in the world mental health surveys. Psychological Medicine. 2017; 47(10): 1744-60.
18. Solmi F, Hatch SL, Hotopf M, Treasure J, Micali N. Prevalence and correlates of disordered eating in a general population sample: the South East London Community Health (SELCoH) study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2014; 49(8): 1335-46.
19. Kamara TS, Whyte EM, Mulsant BH, Peasley-Miklus C, Rothschild AJ, Flint AJ, et al. Does major depressive disorder with somatic delusions constitute a distinct subtype of major depressive disorder with psychotic features?. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2009; 112(1-3): 250-5.
20. Kessler RC, Coccaro EF, Fava M, Jaeger S, Jin R, Walters E. The prevalence and correlates of DSM-IV intermittent explosive disorder in the national comorbidity survey replication. Archives of General Psychiatry. 2006; 63(6): 669-78.
21. Nimnuan C, Hotopf M, Wessely S. Medically unexplained symptoms: an epidemiological study in seven specialities. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2001; 51(1): 361-7.
22. Wongpakaran T, Wongpakaran N. Personality traits influencing somatization symptoms and social inhibition in the elderly. Clinical Interventions in Aging. 2014; 9: 157-64.
Send email to the article author
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
