Human Development & Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, USA.
Aging Ment Health. 2012;16(6):780-6. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2012.667780.
Vietnam has a growing older population, many of whom experienced war and social upheavals in their lives. Prior research has described the health of the older population, but little work has explored mental health. The current study examines the frequency and correlates of two mental health indicators: depressive symptoms and worry.
A representative sample of 600 adults 55 and older stratified by gender (50% women), age (mean=70.33), and rural/urban (50% rural) was recruited in Da Nang, Vietnam and surrounding rural districts. Participants were interviewed in their homes by trained interviewers. Dependent variables were a Vietnamese version of the CES-D and a culturally specific worry scale.
Forty-seven percent of the sample had scores above the cut-off for clinical depression and scores on the worry scale were high. Using multiple linear regressions we found that women, the less educated and individuals with more material hardship had higher depressive symptoms whereas rural residents, women, married, and young-old individuals were more worried. Pain, ADL assistance and emotional support were significant predictors of both depressive symptoms and worry, though the direction of the association for emotional support differed. Illnesses were only a predictor of depressive symptoms.
The high reports of depressive symptoms and worry suggests the need for incorporating mental health screening as part of health programs for older adults in Vietnam. Attention to factors associated with depressive symptoms and worry, such as economic hardship, health problems and lack of emotional support, may contribute to alleviation of symptoms.
越南人口老龄化问题日益严重，其中许多人在生活中经历过战争和社会动荡。先前的研究描述了老年人口的健康状况，但很少有研究探讨心理健康问题。本研究探讨了两种心理健康指标的频率和相关性：抑郁症状和担忧。
在越南岘港及周边农村地区，按照性别（女性占 50%）、年龄（平均 70.33 岁）和城乡（农村占 50%）分层，对 600 名 55 岁及以上的成年人进行了代表性抽样，并对他们进行了家庭访谈。访谈由经过培训的访谈员进行。因变量为越南版 CES-D 和特定文化的担忧量表。
样本中有 47%的人抑郁症状得分超过临床抑郁的临界值，担忧得分也很高。采用多元线性回归，我们发现女性、受教育程度较低和物质困难较多的人抑郁症状较重，而农村居民、女性、已婚和年轻老年人更担忧。疼痛、ADL 辅助和情感支持是抑郁症状和担忧的重要预测因素，但情感支持的关联方向不同。疾病只是抑郁症状的一个预测因素。
高比例的抑郁症状和担忧表明，越南有必要将心理健康筛查纳入老年人健康计划。关注与抑郁症状和担忧相关的因素，如经济困难、健康问题和缺乏情感支持，可能有助于减轻症状。
