Insomnia, depressive signs and symptoms and quality of life in institutionalized elderly subjects

THESES

Insomnia, depressive signs and symptoms and quality of life in institutionalized elderly subjects (abstract)^*. Dissertation. São Paulo, 2006.

Jolene Cristina Ferreira de Oliveira^**

INTRODUCTION: Growing old is a dynamic and continuous process.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the relationship between insomnia and depression and quality of life (QL) of elderly subjects. Specific objectives to identify the following in the institutionalized elderly: 1- insomnia; 2- depressive signs and symptoms; 3- check perception of QL.

METHOD: The study was conducted at "São Joao Bosco" Asylum, and with senior citizens who joined a contact center for the elderly called "João Nogueira Vieira" (comprising the study group), both in the city of Campo Grande, MS Brazil. Data were obtained from Mini-Mental State, brief-WHOQOL test, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Giglio's Sleep Questionnaire. The 36 institutionalized elderly group consisted of 83.4% males and 16.6 females; the majority, 58.33% ranged from 70 to 79 years of age; 50% were single and 100% retired; regarding their education, 58.33% had been to elementary school (completed or not). The 39 senior citizens in the control group were males (10.2%) and females 89.7%); the majority, 48.7% were about 70 to 79 years of age; 56.4% were widowed and 97.4% retired.

RESULTS: Concerning insomnia in institutionalized senior citizens, 77.78% reported initial insomnia, 55.55% had intermediate insomnia and 22.2% had final insomnia, while in the control group 23.1% of the senior citizens presented initial insomnia, 38,5% intermediate insomnia and 17.9% final insomnia; as to depressive signs and symptoms, 44.5% of the institutionalized seniors showed only slight degrees and 8.3% moderate degrees, while the majority of the control group did not manifest either feature. Regarding QL, the subjective perception of institutionalized elderly citizens was that most of them felt neither satisfied nor dissatisfied as to social relationships (72.2%), psychological (91.6%) and physical (50%) domains of WHOQOL, 88.9% referred dissatisfaction about environmental domain, 72.2% referred neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction with their global and subjective QL evaluation, 51.2% referred satisfaction with their global and subjective health, while 79.5% of the control group expressed satisfaction with social relationship domain, 84.6% related dissatisfaction with environmental domain, the large majority neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with physical (87.2%) of psychological (61.5%) domains of WHOQOL, 87.2% were satisfied with their global and subjective QL and 74.4% with their health. A significant difference in QL was found among insomniac and non-insomniac institutionalized seniors in physical (p<0.05), environmental (p<0.05) and social relationships (p<0.05) domains of WHOQOL and with their global and subjective QL (p<0.05), and health (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: 1-insomnia was more frequent in institutionalized elderly than in control group; 2-there was greater occurrence of depressive signs and symptoms in institutionalized elderly than in control group; 3-as to perception of QL : a) in the social relationship domains, 72.2% of institutionalized elderly reported being neither satisfied nor dissatisfied while 79.5% of control group showed dissatisfaction; b) in the environmental domain, both institutionalized seniors (88.9%) and control group (84.6%) reported dissatisfaction; c) in the psychological domain, most institutionalized elderly (91.6%) and 61.5% of the control group reported neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction; d) in physical domain, 50% of the institutionalized elderly reported neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction as did 87.2% of control group; e) in global and subjective perception of QL, most institutionalized elderly (72.2%) reported neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction, while 87.2% of control group reported satisfaction; f) in global and subjective perception of health, 61.2% of institutionalized elderly and 74.4% of the control group expressed satisfaction; 4- institutionalized elderly displayed worse QL in physical (p<0.05); environmental (p<0.05) and social relationships (p<0.05) domains of WHOQOL, and global and subjective perception of QL, results showed p<0.05 and in health, p<0.05; 5- there were more depressive signs and symptoms in institutionalized elderly insomniacs than in institutionalized non-insomniacs.

Key words: sleep disorders, sleep, insomnia, quality of life, ageing.

*

Insônia, sinais e sintomas depressivos e Qualidade de Vida em idosos institucionalizados (Resumo). Dissertação de Mestrado, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (Área: Neurologia). Orientador: Rubens Reimão.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  11 Oct 2006
• Date of issue
  Sept 2006