A depressãoUm risco para a qualidade de vida da pessoa idosa

Resumen

Depression is the most common psychological problem in elderly people. Depression is one of the most common psychological problem in the elderly people. The main objective of this study was the evaluation of the perception of the elderly people on their quality of life as well as the enquiry whether depression is a risk factor for the quality of life or not. This study is exploratory, descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional and of quantitative nature. The research is focused on the 1419 seniors who remain in a Health Center in the Central Region of Portugal. 247 of them, who have been chosen randomly and probabilistically from registration lists, form part of the study sample. The following information, applied through interviews, was used for the data collection: a questionnaire on sociodemographic characterization, the Health Status Questionnaire (SF-36) and the Geriatric Depression Scale of Yesavage. The main results show that the elderly people studied have a reasonable quality of life and higher levels of depression are related to a poorer quality of life. This work allowed us to recognize that depression is a risk factor for the quality of life on older age. Thus the promotion of a good mental health in this age group is required. A Health Center is the principal location to streamline and to coordinate an appropriate intervention.