The study examined the associations between depressive symptoms, motivational factors and self-esteem in 83 elderly engaged in physical exercises. The instruments used were: anamnese, geriatric depression scale (15), Rosenberg self-esteem scale and motivation inventory for regular practice of physical activity. The associations were verified by the Chi-square or Fisher's test and the Spearman correlation, adopting a significance level of 5%. It was statistically observed that there is an inversely proportional relationship between self-esteem and depressive symptoms, as well as low occurrence of depressive symptoms, high self-esteem and motivation of the elderly. The practice of physical exercises seems to contribute to the positive scores found in the variables studied.
Elderly; self concept; depression; motivation
