Abstract
Although psychological distress is one of the major health issues among aging populations, little is known about how this challenge affects older patients after falls. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Thai Binh province, Vietnam, to explore the prevalence of psychological distress and associated factors among 405 older patients after falls. The 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) was used to measure psychological distress. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics were collected using a structured questionnaire. Multivariate Tobit and Logistic regressions were used to determine factors associated with psychological distress. The prevalence of psychological distress among participants was 26.2%. Patients who were alone or older had a higher likelihood of psychological distress. Patients with a history of falls in the past 12 months were more likely to suffer from psychological distress (OR = 2.87, 95%CI = 1.74; 4.72). Having two and three comorbidities was significantly associated with greater K6 scores and a higher risk of psychological distress. This study underlined a significantly high prevalence of psychological distress among older patients after falls. Providing frequent mental health monitoring, screening, treatment, and facilitating social engagements are important implications to improve the mental health of this population.
Highlights
Psychological distress later in life is an important health issue given the rapidly aging populations in all nations
Among 405 patients enrolled in the study, the prevalence of psychological distress was 26.2%
Psychological distress was significantly lower in patients who had spouses as caregivers (17.9%) and were regular smokers (5.0%) (p < 0.05)
Summary
Psychological distress later in life is an important health issue given the rapidly aging populations in all nations. This term refers to “a wide spectrum, ranging from normal feelings of vulnerability, sadness, and fears to problems that can become disabling, such as depression, anxiety, extensive worries, negative thoughts, or social isolation” [1]. Previous literature indicated that the rate of psychological distress in older adults ranged from 10.7% to 48% [7,8], and those in institutional settings experienced this mental problem more frequently than those living in their private home [9]. Older adults experiencing falls are vulnerable to mental disorders, including psychological distress. A global report estimates that approximately one-third of older people in the community experience at least one major fall in their lifetime [11,12]
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