Factors Affecting the Depression of the Elderly Women in Poverty

Park, Eun A; Lee, In Sook

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was to investigate the factors affecting the depression of the elderly women in poverty in community.
METHODS
The subjects were 1,208 elderly women over 65 years who were enrolled in the Public Health Care Center from Apr. 2008 to Jun. 2008. Data were collected using questionnaires including general characteristics, health related behaviors and health status by nurses at the time of enrollment. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, chi-square-test, Pearson correlation coefficients and multivariate logistic regression.
RESULTS
The major findings of this study are as follows: The elderly women in poverty show a tendency to have lower level in income, education, self-rated health, cognitive function compared with ordinary women in old age. The predictors of depression of the elderly women in poverty were spouse's existence or nonexistence, type of insurance, cognitive function, and self-rated health.
OBJECTIVES
These findings suggest the need to develop nursing strategies for decreasing depression in the elderly women in poverty. To decrease the depression of the elderly women, the above-mentioned major influencing factors should be considered.