scholarly journals A Comparative Study of the Factors Associated with Geriatric Depression between Two Sex Groups Living Alone

Author(s):  
Eunhye Hong ◽  
Youkyung Kim ◽  
Junghyun Park ◽  
Heejung Kim

Purpose: The aims of this study were to identify depression rates depending on the sex among elderly people living alone and to compare depression-related ecological system factors between two sex groups.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data from the 7th Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging survey in 2018. A total of 893 elders living alone were included (152 men and 741 women). Hierarchical logistic regression was used to identify depression-related ecological system factors depending on the sex.Results: Men had significantly higher rates of depression (28.6%) than women (24.0%, p<.001). Depression-related ecological system factors in elderly women were higher educational level, poor subjective health status, impairment of instrumental activities of daily living, low satisfaction with children’s relation, financial based on children’s support, and rare meetings with close people. However, relation satisfaction with children was the only relevant depression-related ecological system factor in the men’s group.Conclusion: Our study findings show that depression-related ecological system factors vary depending on the sex of elderly people living alone. Thus, mental health professionals should provide sex-specific interventions to develop or implement depression-prevention strategies for the elderly living alone depending on the sex.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Jeong Hwang ◽  
In Ok Sim

Abstract Background The happiness of older adults living alone warrants attention because they are more vulnerable to unhappiness than those living with families. The present study aimed to construct and test a structural equation model to elucidate the causal relationship among participation in social activities, satisfaction with the neighborhood environment, subjective health status, and happiness in older adults living alone in South Korea. Methods Secondary data of 2,768 older adults (605 males and 2,163 females) living on their own were extracted from the 2017 Korean Community Health Survey and used in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected via self-reported questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and AMOS version 20.0. Results The hypothetical model exhibited a good fit: χ2 = 342.06 (df = 58, p < .001), goodness-of-fit index = .98, adjected goodness-of-fit index = .97, root mean square error of approximation = .04, and nonstandard fit index = .92. Participation in social activities had a significant effect on participants’ subjective health status (path coefficient = .45, p = .001) and happiness (path coefficient = .20, p = .003). Conclusions Interventions to improve the health and happiness of older adults living alone should aim to enhance their social and physical environmental dimensions based on the participants' various social activities and their neighborhoods' characteristics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Jeong Hwang ◽  
In Ok Sim

Abstract Background The happiness of older adults living alone warrants attention because they are more vulnerable to unhappiness than those living with families. The present study aimed to construct and test a structural equation model to elucidate the relationship among participation in social activities, satisfaction with the neighborhood environment, subjective health status, and happiness in older adults living alone in South Korea. Methods Secondary data of 2768 older adults (605 males and 2163 females) living on their own were extracted from the 2017 Korean Community Health Survey and used in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected via self-reported questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and AMOS version 20.0. Results The hypothetical model exhibited a good fit: χ2 = 342.06 (df = 58, p < .001), goodness-of-fit index = .98, adjected goodness-of-fit index = .97, root mean square error of approximation = .04, and nonstandard fit index = .92. Participation in social activities had a significant effect on participants’ subjective health status (path coefficient = .45, p = .001) and happiness (path coefficient = .20, p = .003). Conclusions Interventions to improve the health and happiness of older adults living alone should aim to enhance their social and physical environmental dimensions based on the participants’ various social activities and their neighborhoods’ characteristics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S459-S459
Author(s):  
Hyun-E Yeom ◽  
Eunyoung Park ◽  
Misook Jung

Abstract Midlife is a transitional period with considerable stress related to health changes and interpersonal responsibilities. Understanding how self-perception of aging and family function affect stress is essential to improve quality of life in midlife and beyond. The purpose of this study was to examine the association among self-perception of aging, family function, and stress with a specific focus on the interaction between self-perception of aging and family function, which affect stress in midlife Koreans. This is a cross-sectional study. Data on a convenience sample of 249 midlife Koreans (age mean= 50.6, 50.1% male) were collected through a self-administered survey and analyzed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS. Self-perception of aging was significantly related to family function (r= -.121, p=.045), and family function was related to stress (r= -.402, p&lt;.000). Self-perception of aging was a significant predictor for stress (β= -.130, p=.008) after adjusting for age, gender, subjective health status, and chronic health problems. A significant interaction between family function and self-perception of aging on stress was found (β= -.261, p=.006), indicating that the influence of self-perception of aging on stress was different depending on family function. Self-perception of aging was a strong predictor of stress in individuals who reported poorer support from family members, but not in those who reported better support. Our findings emphasize the importance of supportive family function, which could regulate the impact of self-perception of aging on stress in midlife. Developing psycho-cognitive interventions to improve self-perception of aging and supportive interaction between family members is warranted.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. e019373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-E Zhang ◽  
Wenhui Liu ◽  
Jinghui Wang ◽  
Yu Shi ◽  
Fengzhe Xie ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to describe the current state of workplace violence (WPV) and compassionate behaviour towards nurses and to explain how they affect nurses’ stress, sleep quality and subjective health status.DesignA cross-sectional online survey study.SettingThe survey was conducted across eight provinces in China.ParticipantsA total of 1024 nurses were recruited to complete an online questionnaire survey from February to May 2016 in China.ResultsApproximately 75.4% participants had experienced some form of violence. Most of the participants experienced WPV such as verbal violence (65.2%), made difficulties (54.5%), tarnished reputation (37.5%), mob behaviour (34.9%), intimidation behaviour (18.8%), physical violence (14.6%) and sexual harassment (5.9%). In this study, 92.4% participants experienced compassionate behaviour from their coworkers (84.9%), supervisors (67.3%), and from their patients (65.3%). The results show that the exposure to WPV behaviour significantly affected the psychological stress (β=0.295, p<0.01), sleep quality (β=−0.198, p<0.01) and subjective health status (β=−0.252, p<0.01) of nurses. The exposure to compassionate behaviour significantly affected the psychological stress (β=−0.229, p<0.01), sleep quality (β=0.326, p<0.01) and subjective health status (β=0.342, p<0.01) of nurses. The results of the mediation analysis showed that psychological stress is a partial mediator in the relationship between violence and sleep quality (β=−0.458, p<0.01) and between violence and subjective health (β=−0.425, p<0.01). Moreover, psychological stress also partially mediated the relationship between compassionate behaviour and sleep quality (β=−0.473, p<0.01), and between compassionate behaviour and subjective health (β=−0.405, p<0.01).ConclusionIn China, most nurses have experienced different forms of WPV from patients and/or their relatives, as well as experiencing various forms of compassionate behaviour from their coworkers, supervisors and/or patients. This study investigates the prevalence of the different types of WPV and compassionate behaviour. Several aspects of harm to nurses from exposure to violence is confirmed. We found that WPV can damage nurses’ health outcomes, while compassionate behaviours were beneficial to their health outcomes. A harmonious nursing environment should be provided to minimise threats to nurses’ health status.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuaki Goto ◽  
Shinya Hayasaka ◽  
Shigeo Kurihara ◽  
Yosikazu Nakamura

Showering is the most common form of bathing worldwide. Whole-body immersion bathing in warm water (~40°C) is common in Japan and exerts sufficient hyperthermic action to induce vasodilatation and increase blood flow, supplying more oxygen and nutrients to the periphery. Cross-sectional studies report better subjective health status with an immersion bathing habit. This randomized controlled trial compared the effects on health of immersion bathing and shower bathing in 38 participants who received 2-week intervention of immersion bathing in warm water (40°C) for 10 min (bathing intervention) followed by 2-week shower bathing without immersion (showering intervention) or vice versa (n = 19 each group). Visual analog scale scores were significantly better for fatigue, stress, pain, and smile and tended to be better for self-reported heath and skin condition after bathing intervention than after showering intervention. The SF-8 Health Survey showed significantly better general health, mental health, role emotional, and social functioning scores. Profile of Mood State scores were lower for stress, tension-anxiety, anger-hostility, and depression-dejection. Immersion bathing, but not shower bathing, exerts hyperthermic action that induces increased blood flow and metabolic waste elimination, which may afford physical refreshment. Immersion bathing should improve both physical and emotional aspects of quality of life.


2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (13) ◽  
pp. 3226-3233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Knobel ◽  
Jon Håvard Loge ◽  
May Brit Lund ◽  
Kolbjørn Forfang ◽  
Ole Nome ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: Long-term medical complications, such as cardiac, pulmonary, and thyroid dysfunction, are frequent among Hodgkin’s disease survivors (HDSs). Chronic fatigue is also highly prevalent among HDSs. Few studies have explored possible etiologic explanations for fatigue. The aim of this study was to explore whether late cardiac, pulmonary, and thyroid complications after curative treatment for Hodgkin’s disease (HD) may explain the high level of fatigue among HDSs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four-hundred fifty-nine patients treated for HD at the Norwegian Radium Hospital from 1971 to 1991 were included in a cross-sectional, follow-up study of subjective health status. Fatigue (physical [PF] and mental), was measured by the Fatigue Questionnaire. A subcohort of the HDSs (116 patients) treated from 1980 to 1988 were included in a separate study in which long-term cardiac, pulmonary, and thyroid complications were assessed. All patients had received radiotherapy, and 63 patients had received additional chemotherapy. The present study comprised 92 patients (mean age, 37 years; range, 23 to 56 years) who participated in both studies. RESULTS: HDSs with pulmonary dysfunction were more fatigued than HDSs with normal pulmonary function (PF 10.9 v 8.9; P < .05). Gas transfer impairment was the most prevalent pulmonary dysfunction, and three times as many patients with gas transfer impairment reported chronic fatigue (duration, 6 months or longer), compared with patients without pulmonary dysfunction (48% v 17%, P < .01). No associations were found between cardiac sequelae or hypothyroidism and fatigue. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary dysfunction is associated with fatigue in HDSs. Cardiac sequelae was not associated with fatigue in HDSs. We question the absence of an association between thyroid complications and fatigue.


Author(s):  
Anna T. Ehmann ◽  
Oliver Groene ◽  
Monika A. Rieger ◽  
Achim Siegel

Low health literacy is associated with poorer health and quality of life. An open question is whether a regional integrated healthcare system whose management strives to enable and empower its members with regard to health issues can contribute to a higher level of health literacy in the population. Against this background, in a cross-sectional study we surveyed a random selection of members of an integrated healthcare system in southwestern Germany (n = 180). The standardized questionnaire included, inter alia, questions on health literacy and subjective health. In this sample we wanted to (1) determine the proportion of respondents with sufficient health literacy and (2) investigate whether the association between health literacy and quality of life and subjective health status—as found in other studies—can be replicated. In our sample a health literacy score could be calculated in 126 subjects (70%). A sufficient level of health literacy was detected in 62% of respondents. Confirming the findings of a meta-analysis based on international studies, we found moderate correlations between health literacy and quality of life (r = 0.41) and health literacy and subjective health status (r = 0.40); these correlations hardly decreased when we controlled for various sociodemographic characteristics. As the proportion of respondents with sufficient health literacy was higher in our sample than in comparable studies conducted in Germany, we may hypothesize that an integrated healthcare system like the one we surveyed could have contributed to increased health literacy in the population. Thus, it could be worthwhile to investigate this research question with a more rigorous study design and a larger sample.


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