RESEARCH PAPER
Quality of life and risk of depression in the youngest-old and middle-old women and
men
1
University of Rzeszow, Medical College, Institute of Health Sciences, Rzeszow, Poland
2
Medical Centre ‘NOVI-MED’, Non-Public Health Care Institution, Łancut, Poland
3
Doctoral School, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce, Poland
4
Collegium Medicum, Institute of Health Sciences, Jan Kochanowski University,Kielce, Poland
Corresponding author
Ewa Puszczałowska-Lizis
University of Rzeszow, Medical College, Institute of Health Sciences, Rzeszow, Poland
University of Rzeszow, Medical College, Institute of Health Sciences, Rzeszow, Poland
Med Og Nauk Zdr. 2021;27(3):291-296
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction and objective:
The currently observed progressive aging of societies has an impact on the occurrence of problems affecting the quality of life in many spheres. While focused on a mixed gender population, deliberately stratified into the youngest-oldest and middle-aged individuals, the study aimed to determine whether their subjective assessment of overall quality of life was in any way correlated with the risk of depression.
Material and methods:
A study sample of 164 free-living community dwellers aged 65–84 years was investigated with the use of WHOQOL-BREF and GDS-15 surveys. The data collected was subsequently analysed by Chi-square test, Student’s t test, Mann Whitney U test, and Spearman rank correlation.
Results:
Significant differences were established in the overall quality of life in terms of select psychological variables in women from Groups I and II (p=0.006). In the groups stratified by age angender, significant negative correlations were noted (p<0.001) between respective domains under study.
Conclusions:
Women from the youngest-oldest group rated their quality of life higher in the psychological domain, compared with the middle-aged group. Neither age nor gender differentiated individual susceptibility to depression, even though approx. 30% of all respondents were ultimately established as being at such risk. Individuals established as less prone to depression rated their overall quality of life as higher in the respective domains. The respondents‘ subjective assessment indicated no correlation with the risk of depression.
The currently observed progressive aging of societies has an impact on the occurrence of problems affecting the quality of life in many spheres. While focused on a mixed gender population, deliberately stratified into the youngest-oldest and middle-aged individuals, the study aimed to determine whether their subjective assessment of overall quality of life was in any way correlated with the risk of depression.
Material and methods:
A study sample of 164 free-living community dwellers aged 65–84 years was investigated with the use of WHOQOL-BREF and GDS-15 surveys. The data collected was subsequently analysed by Chi-square test, Student’s t test, Mann Whitney U test, and Spearman rank correlation.
Results:
Significant differences were established in the overall quality of life in terms of select psychological variables in women from Groups I and II (p=0.006). In the groups stratified by age angender, significant negative correlations were noted (p<0.001) between respective domains under study.
Conclusions:
Women from the youngest-oldest group rated their quality of life higher in the psychological domain, compared with the middle-aged group. Neither age nor gender differentiated individual susceptibility to depression, even though approx. 30% of all respondents were ultimately established as being at such risk. Individuals established as less prone to depression rated their overall quality of life as higher in the respective domains. The respondents‘ subjective assessment indicated no correlation with the risk of depression.
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