Depression is the predominant factor contributing to morale as measured by the Philadelphia Geriatric Morale Scale in elderly Chinese aged 70 years and over.

OBJECTIVE

To examine factors contributing to the total Philadelphia Geriatric Morale Scale (PGMS) and its two subscales: reconciled ageing and unstrained affect.

METHOD

The PGMS was administered to 759 community-living subjects aged 70 years and over. Information regarding socioeconomic status, health conditions, sensory impairment, physical symptoms, social support, activities of daily living as measured by the Barthel Index, life satisfaction, and the Geriatric Depression Score, was collected. Associations between these factors and PGMS and its subscale were examined using univariate analysis (Mann-Whitney; Kruskal-Wallis tests), and multivariate analysis using the classification and regression tree (CART) method.

RESULTS

Gender, old age, physical, socioeconomic and social factors were significantly associated with PGMS. There was a strong correlation with GDS (r = 0.77, p < 0.001). In the CART analysis, for both subscales and the total score, GDS was the predominant factor contributing to the score. Other factors include self perception of health, enough expenses, overall satisfaction with life, gender, and constipation.

DISCUSSION

The PGMS and GDS are closely related. In addition to the GDS, health perception, life satisfaction, and adequate finance were factors contributing to quality of life in elderly Hong Kong Chinese.