A Study of Anxiety and Quality of Life among the Elderly in a Small and Medium-Sized City

Jang, Seung Ho; Na, An Suk; Lee, Sang Yeol

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and to identify demographic variables and clinical characteristics impacting on anxiety and quality of life in the elderly.
METHODS
We analyzed data of 300 patients. Generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument Brief Form (WHOQOL-BREF), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Scale of Social Support (SSS), Brief Encounter Psychosocial instrument (BEPSI-K) were used to evaluate. Patients were divided into anxiety and non-anxiety group according to the GAD-7 score. We compared stress and quality of life between two groups and analyzed multiple linear regression with anxiety and quality of life as criterion variables.
RESULTS
The prevalence of anxiety in elderly was 27% (n=81). Compared to the non-anxiety, anxiety people appeared significantly lower mean scores all of subscales in WHOQOL-BREF : General Health (t=-6.782, p<0.001), Physical Health (t=-6.935, p<0.001), Psychological Health (t=-8.816, p<0.001), Social Relationship (t=-5.409, p<0.001) and Environmental Health (t=-5.667, p<0.001). Stress, social support, education, sleep were significant explanation variables for anxiety and anxiety, stress, self-esteem were significant explanation variables for quality of life.
CONCLUSION
These results show that the most important variable influencing on anxiety was stress and influencing on quality of life was anxiety.