Depression and Loneliness in Disabled Adults

Abstract

The study is a cross-sectional type conducted on disabled individuals registered in Turkish Disabled Association Branch in the province of Eskişehir between 27th of August 2012 – 15th of January 2013. 348 disabled individuals (54%), who agreed to participate in the study and with whom communication could be established, constituted the study group. The existence of disability, its type and degree in individuals were evaluated according to the medical reports obtained previously. In this study, the Beck Depression Inventory was used to assess the level of depression and the UCLA Loneliness Scale was used to assess loneliness. The working group consisted of 95 females (27.3%) and 253 males (72.7%). Their ages varied from 18 to 62 and the average age was 34.70 ± 12.22. In our study, the frequency of depression was determined as 57.8% (n = 201). Those who are married, those with three or more children, smokers, those who consume alcohol, and those who need care in their daily lives have a higher incidence of depression (for each, p <0.05). It has been found out that those who are 19 years old and under this age, high school graduates and those with higher level of education, hearing-impaired patients and those with 50-74% disability level, have a lower incidence of depression (for each, p <0.05). There is no correlation between depression and loneliness (p> 0.05).