Psychological health among institutionalized senior citizens of Ernakulam district

Abstract

Introduction: Institutionalized senior citizens are facing a lot of psychosocial issues, of which dementia and depression are the most common ones. The present study intends to assess psychological health (cognition, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, sleep quality, and quality of life) among institutionalized senior citizens of Ernakulam district. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 236 senior citizens residing at five selected old-age homes of Ernakulam district. Sociopersonal data sheet, Montreal cognitive assessment, Geriatric Depression Scale-Long Form, Rosenberg self-esteem scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and WHOQOL-OLD scale were used to collect data from the study participants. Results: The average age of participants was 71.01 ± 12.01. The mean scores of cognition and quality of life among participants were 15.80 ± 5.51 and 85.05 ± 20.25, respectively. While only 2.5% of participants reported normal cognition, 40.7% of participants had depression of varying severity. The majority of participants had moderate self-esteem (65.3%). About 36.4% were reported as poor sleepers and 15.2% of participants reported poor or very poor quality of life. Participants with high cognitive scores, high self-esteem, better sleep quality, and low depressive symptoms reported better quality of life. As expected, participants with high self-esteem reported less depressive symptoms. Conclusion: The goal of adding quality rather than quantity to lives can be achieved by focusing on the psychological health (cognition, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and sleep quality) of institutionalized senior citizens.