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Predisposing and Facilitating Factors of Severe Psychological Distress among Frail Elderly Adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Michel Préville ,
Réjean Hébert ,
Gina Bravo  and
Richard Boyer
Michel Préville*
Affiliation:
University of Sherbrooke
Réjean Hébert
Affiliation:
University of Sherbrooke
Gina Bravo
Affiliation:
University of Sherbrooke
Richard Boyer
Affiliation:
University of Montreal and L. H. Lafontaine Hospital
*
Requests, etc., Dr. Michel Préville, Gerontology Research Center, Sherbrooke Geriatric University Institute, 1036 Belvédère South, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada, J1H 4C4. E-mail: mprevill@courrier.usherb.ca
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Abstract

A sample of frail older adults (65 years and over) living at home or institutionalized (n = 664) with a significant functional limitation was used to document predisposing and facilitating factors of severe psychological distress among frail elderly adults. Our results indicated that 48.2 per cent of the older adults living at home presented severe psychological distress symptoms, compared to 34.3 per cent of elderly adults living in institutions. The probability of reporting a severe level of psychological distress was associated with the respondents' social support, cognitive and functional status. When the respondents' cognitive and functional status were controlled, no evidence of a significant association was found between the respondents' age, gender, marital status, education or income and the level of their psychological distress symptoms. Our results showed that 77.9 per cent of the respondents with severe psychological distress symptoms were still severely distressed 12 months after their first interview. Findings suggest that severe psychological distress represents an important challenge for practitioners in gerontology and geriatrics. It is suggested that other studies focusing on the consequences of psychological distress on older adults' quality of life, functional decline, institutionalization and mortality may help document the gravity of this symptomatology in the elderly population.

Résumé

Un échantillon de la population âgée (65 ans et plus) vivant à domicile ou en institution avec une limitation fonctionnelle significative (n = 664) a été utilisé pour documenter les facteurs prédisposants et facilitants associés à la détresse psychologique sévère chez les personnes âgées en perte d'autonomie. Nos résultats indiquent que 48,2 pour cent des sujets vivant à domicile présentaient une symptomatologie sévère de détresse psychologique, comparativement à 34,3 pour cent des personnes vivant en institution. La probabilité de rapporter un niveau sévère de détresse psychologique a été associée au statut fonctionnel et cognitif des répondants et à la disponibilité d'un soutien social. Après que l'association entre le statut cognitif et fonctionnel des répondants et les symptômes de détresse psychologique ait été contrôlée, aucune association significative n'a pu être mis en évidence entre l'âge, le sexe, le statut civil, l'éducation, le revenu et le niveau de détresse psychologique des répondants. Nos résultats ont montré que 77,9 pour cent des répondants ayant des symptômes sévères de détresse psychologique étaient encore en détresse sévère 12 mois plus tard. Nos résultats suggèrent que la détresse psychologique sévère chez les personnes âgées constitue un défi important pour les intervenants en gérontologie et gériatrie. Il est suggéré que d'autres recherches documentent les conséquences de ces symptômes sur la qualité de vie, la perte d'autonomie, le risque d'institutionnalisation et de mortalité de façon à évaluer la gravité de ce phénomène dans cette population.

Keywords

Psychological DistressFrail Older AdultsDétresse psychologiquepersonnes âgées avec une limitation fonctionnelle significative
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 21 , Issue 2 , Summer/Été 2002 , pp. 195 - 204
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2002

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Footnotes

*This study was supported by the Conseil québécois de la recherche sociale (grant number 952138). The authors thank Ms. Bernadette Wilson who provided editing comments.

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