Beniusiene Asta, Kontautiene Vyte, Strukcinskiene Birute, Grigoliene Rasa, Martisauskiene Dalia, Jurgaitis Jonas
Faculty of Health Sciences, Klaipeda University, LT-92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Faculty of Marine Technologies and Natural Sciences, Klaipeda University, LT-92294 Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Healthcare (Basel). 2024 Dec 24;13(1):7. doi: 10.3390/healthcare13010007.
International studies state that older adults are at an increased risk of mental health symptoms and disorders (depression, anxiety, and stress), especially elderly women aged >65 years. The literature on this topic is scarce, and there is a need for studies that investigate the associations between mental health issues and overall health in elderly women. This study aimed to investigate depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in elderly women in association with health status. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Klaipeda, Lithuania, in 2020. The survey included elderly women (n = 306) aged 65 to 80 years studying at the Third Age University in Klaipeda city. The DASS-21 and SHSQ-25 scales were used for the survey. Associations and correlations between both scale indicators were calculated. Sociodemographic factors such as age, marital status, and place of residence were not statistically significant in terms of mental health, except for women living alone, who had slightly lower levels of depressive symptoms ( = 0.015). Mental health issues were quite common; almost half of the participants had higher than normal levels of anxiety (49.0%) and depression (48.4%), and one-third (29.8%) experienced stress. A strong positive correlation was observed between mental health symptoms and physical health, with anxiety having the greatest effect size on fatigue (Cohen's d = 0.950, < 0.001), cardiovascular symptoms (Cohen's d = 0.757, < 0.001), and mental status (Cohen's d = 1.036, < 0.001). Depressive symptoms had a large effect size on fatigue (Cohen's d = 0.764, < 0.001) and mental status (Cohen's d = 0.816, < 0.001), while stress had a moderate effect size on all health domains. The findings highlight that anxiety symptoms are a major contributor to mental health conditions and overall health in elderly women. This study's results emphasise the need for targeted interventions to address mental health challenges in elderly women.
国际研究表明，老年人出现心理健康症状和疾病（抑郁、焦虑和压力）的风险增加，尤其是65岁以上的老年女性。关于这一主题的文献稀缺，因此需要开展研究来调查老年女性心理健康问题与整体健康之间的关联。本研究旨在调查老年女性的抑郁、焦虑和压力症状及其与健康状况的关系。2020年在立陶宛克莱佩达进行了一项基于社区的横断面研究。该调查纳入了在克莱佩达市第三年龄大学学习的65至80岁老年女性（n = 306）。调查使用了抑郁焦虑压力量表-21（DASS-21）和简短健康调查问卷-25（SHSQ-25）。计算了两个量表指标之间的关联和相关性。社会人口学因素，如年龄、婚姻状况和居住地点，在心理健康方面无统计学意义，但独居女性的抑郁症状水平略低（P = 0.015）。心理健康问题相当普遍；几乎一半的参与者焦虑水平（49.0%）和抑郁水平（48.4%）高于正常，三分之一（29.8%）经历过压力。心理健康症状与身体健康之间存在强烈的正相关，焦虑对疲劳（科恩d值 = 0.950，P < 0.001）、心血管症状（科恩d值 = 0.757，P < 0.001）和精神状态（科恩d值 = 1.036，P < 0.001）的影响最大。抑郁症状对疲劳（科恩d值 = 0.764，P < 0.001）和精神状态（科恩d值 = 0.816，P < 0.001）有较大影响，而压力对所有健康领域有中等影响。研究结果突出表明，焦虑症状是老年女性心理健康状况和整体健康的主要促成因素。本研究结果强调需要有针对性的干预措施来应对老年女性的心理健康挑战。
