Association between living arrangement and quality of life for older adults in the community.

Alisson Fernandes Bolina,Mayssa Da Conceição Araújo,Vanderlei José Haas,Darlene Mara Dos Santos Tavares

doi:10.1590/1518-8345.4051.3401

Alisson Fernandes Bolina, Mayssa Da Conceição Araújo + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1518-8345.4051.3401

Copy DOI

Abstract

Objective:to compare the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of the older adults in the community according to the living arrangement and to verify the association between the type of living arrangement and the quality of life scores.Method:a cross-sectional epidemiological study conducted with 796 older adults in the community. To assess quality of life (dependent variable), network and social support (adjustment variable), validated and applied chi-square tests, descriptive statistical analysis, multiple comparison analysis (ANOVA) and multiple linear regression model (p<0.05) were used.Results:the older adults who lived only with their spouses had better quality of life scores in all domains and facets, except in the death and dying domain, which did not show any significant difference. The lowest scores for quality of life were identified in the groups with the presence of children and, exceptionally, in the domain of social relationships and, in the facets death and dying and intimacy, those who lived alone had worse assessments. In the adjusted model, there was an association between the type of living arrangement and the different domains and facets of quality of life.Conclusion:living arrangement was associated with quality of life scores for older adults in the community, even after adjusting for the gender, age, number of morbidities, and social support variables.

Highlights

Population aging has caused changes in the structure of families that raise reflections on the sustainability of the traditional models of family care for the older adults
The study sample was re-categorized into six groups according to the type of living arrangement: they lived only with their spouse; alone; only with children; with spouse and others; with children and others; and had other types of arrangements
The final sample of the study comprised 796 older adults, divided into six groups according to the type of living arrangement: 22.2% (n =177) lived only with their spouse; 18.5% (n=147) alone; 16.8% (n=134) only with children; 20.0% (n=159) with the spouse and others; 12.8% (n=102) with children and others; and 9.7% (n=77) had other types of living arrangement

Summary

Introduction

Population aging has caused changes in the structure of families that raise reflections on the sustainability of the traditional models of family care for the older adults. The decline in fertility (reduction in the number of young people), changes in gender patterns (insertion of women in the labor market), and the weakening of the social representation of the older adults in contemporary society compromise the family’s ability to provide care for the older adults[1]. In this scenario, new configurations of living arrangements for the older adults[2] have been discussed, and this issue is an object for pressing concern on the world population aging agenda[1]. This is an operational definition adopted in other research studies in Brazil[3] and in the world[4]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion