Depression Conditions of the Elderly Living in Nursing Homes and the Factors Affecting Them

Abstract

Aim: The aim of our article is to determine the depression status of elderly people living in nursing homes and the affecting factors. Material and Method: The study included 75 elderly individuals who lived in assisted living facilities. Data was collected through a Personal Information Form, the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Mini Mental Assessment Test, and retrospective blood results. The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software and non-parametric tests were used due to the non-normal distribution of the data. The Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test were used to compare independent variables. Additionally, multiple regression analysis was employed. Results: The study found that 38.7% of elderly participants had abnormal mini-mental assessments, and 21.3% had significant depression. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in the total mean scores of the Mini Mental State Test (MMST) based on gender (p=0.023), marital status (p=0.001), educational attainment (p=0.001), and level of schooling. Additionally, there was a statistically significant difference (p=0.002) between the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) total mean score and the presence of sleep issues. The total mean scores of MMST indicated a statistically significant difference between the status of urine incontinence (p=0.001) and exercise (p=0.006), as well as their combination. Conclusion: Approximately one third of the participants were depressed and had poor cognitive status. Depression was associated with being female, low educational status and sleep problems, whereas mental status was associated with gender, marital status, and educational status. It is recommended to conduct longitudinal studies with larger samples in future studies.