Effects of Pain and Somatic Symptoms on Elderly Depression Symptoms and Quality of Life

Choi, Soon hyeok; Jang, Seung Ho; Paik, Young Suk; Lee, Hye Jin; Lee, Sang Yeol

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pain and somatic symptoms on depressive symptoms and quality of life in the elderly population.
METHODS
This study analyzed 147 elderly people living in a small city. This study used the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-K), Short Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS-K), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), Geriatric Pain Measurement (GPM-K), World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHQQOL-BREF), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) as measuring tools for review of the elderly population. The student-t test and chi-square test were used to compare the characteristics of depression in the case of the participants. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed by the utilization of a Pearson's correlation test.
RESULTS
Among the 147 elderly people studied, there were 43 (29.2%) who showed depressive symptoms. There was a difference in psychological variables according to depressive symptom between MSPSS (p < 0.01), GPM-K (p < 0.001), PHQ-15 (p < 0.001), and WHOQOL-BREF (p < 0.001). The quality of life of the elderly participants was significantly correlated with age (p < 0.05), annual income (p < 0.05), MSPSS (p < 0.01), and GPM-K (p < 0.01). As a note, the final regression model of the quality of life showed that 40.0% of the quality of life was related to high social support, low educational attainment, pain experienced by the participants and other characteristic physical symptoms.
CONCLUSION
This study confirmed the effects of pain and somatic symptoms on the incidence of depression and quality of life in the elderly urban dwelling populations.