Predictors of Depression Level among Community-Dwelling Elderly Persons

Chin-Chen Liu, Yi-Tung Lin, Kung-Chuan Cheng, Hsueh-Hsing Pan and Chou-Ping Chiou
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Chin-Chen Liu: Department of Family Medicine, E-Da Dachang Hospital, Kaohsiung City 82445, Taiwan
Yi-Tung Lin: Department of Nursing, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung City 82445, Taiwan
Kung-Chuan Cheng: Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Kaohsiung City 83340, Taiwan
Hsueh-Hsing Pan: School of Nursing, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei City 11420, Taiwan
Chou-Ping Chiou: School of Nursing, I-Shou University, No. 8, E-Da Road, Jiau-Shu Tsuen, Yan-Chau Shiang, Kaohsiung City 84020, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-9

Abstract: Elderly people in the community have difficulty taking care of themselves because of their inability to care for themselves in daily life as well as their poor social support system, which leads to loneliness, resulting in depression. The primary objective was to investigate the level of depression and related factors among community-dwelling elderly persons (CDEP). This was a cross-sectional study, and 150 participants were interviewed. The questionnaires included demographics, the Functional Independence Measure, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form. It was found that participants with different levels of depression accounted for 26%, and education level, living status, chronic disease, daily life function, social support, and loneliness were all significant factors influencing the depression level among the CDEP that could significantly predict 63.4% of the variation in depression level. Nursing staff must understand the level of depression and its influencing factors, encourage the elderly in the community to increase social networks, and integrate leisure into their lives, thereby enhancing the sense of value and meaning of life and reducing feelings of loneliness and depression.

Keywords: elderly; social support; loneliness; depression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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