Depression and Hopelessness in Institutionalized Elderly: A Societal Concern

Abstract

Even though occurrence of depression in older adults is considered a major public health problem, very few Indian studies have made an attempt to study the mental health of elderly residing in institutionalized settings such as nursing homes and old age homes. The purpose of this study is to examine the presence and severity of depression and extent of negative attitudes about the future in institutionalized elderly in India. Data were collected by administering the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) on residents of different old age homes across Delhi NCR (N = 21). Results revealed presence of mild depression and mild hopelessness in the institutionalized elderly. Further, a positive strong correlation was found between depression and hopelessness (Г = 0.83). Social and emotional losses associated with institutionalization are likely to lead to depressive responses in the elderly. The findings of the study draw attention to the neglected and apathetic conditions of institutionalized elderly, an imperative concern for the Indian society.

Networks of Depression and Cognition in Elderly Psychiatric Patients

“…In the network of depressive symptoms in elderly patients, feeling hopeless and the level of energy are the most pivotal nodes. This is consistent with other findings of depressive symptoms in older patients (Hill, Gallagher, Thompson, & Ishida, 1988; Sarin, Punyaapriya, Sethi, & Nagar, 2016; Zengarini et al, 2016). Older patients often lose hope of remission in light of their age.…”

Hopelessness in the elderly: a systematic review

“…8 They used, in a sample of 79 elderly people, a socio-demographic questionnaire and questions about reading behavior and the use of the internet/computer, which is the main approach to be correlated with hopelessness in the elderly. Beck's Hopelessness Scale was used, composed of 20 sentences of true or false that classify the level of hopelessness at the minimum level of hopelessness (0-3), mild level of hopelessness (4)(5)(6)(7)(8), moderate level of hopelessness (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14) and serious level (greater than 14). Finally, a question was made on the Reading Attitude Scale, composed of 30 assertions related to reading behavior in which maximum score is 120 points.…”

“…The sense of hopelessness reflects a negative view of the future that reinforces depressive thoughts. 14 A study evidenced the significant relationship between anxiety, depression and hopelessness among the 76-elderly surveyed.³ It may be hypothesized that typical aging feelings can arouse hopelessness and lead to depressive and anxious symptoms. The advancing age courses with a progressive loss of physical, mental and social resources, leading to feelings of helplessness, leading to feelings of impotence and fragility.…”

The Effect of COVID-19 Outbreak on Older Adults' Hopelessness, Loneliness and Spiritual Well-Being in Turkey

“…In this study, it was found that the hopelessness levels of the older adult population who were not infected during the outbreak period were below the middle level. Sarin et al ( 2016 ) found in their study that the hopelessness level of older adults was moderate, Şahin et al ( 2018 ), Choi et al ( 2016 ) stated that older adults have high levels of hopelessness. The fact that this research was conducted during the COVID-19 outbreak is thought to have an impact on the level of hope.…”