Correlation Study Between Mental Health And Quality Of Life Of Elderly People In Taiyuan Urban Area

Objective:The purpose of this study was to understand mental health and quality of life of elderly people in Taiyuan urban city,explored the main influencing factors,and to intensive studied the relationship between mental health and quality of life in the elderly.This study can provide the basis for the specific works and policy-making,and lay the foundation for the further research on related issues in the elderly.Methods:With the SCL-90 and the SF-36,1028 elderly from six districts in Taiyuan urban area,Shanxi Province,was interviewed with questionnaire by muti-stage random cluster sampling method.SPSS22.0 was used to analyze data.The basic demographic characteristics used descriptive analysis,two samples were compared using independent samples t-test,multiple samples were compared using one-way ANOVA,and influenced factors were analysed using multiple stepwise method.The relationship between mental health and quality of life in the elderly was analysed usint the canonical correlation analysis.Results:The total scores of mental health in the elderly in Taiyuan were 130.65±38.2.In the nine dimensions,the highest scores were 1.66±0.54 in obsessive-compulsive,and the lowest scores were 1.30±0.49 in phobia anxiety.Comparing with Chinese norm,all dimensions had the statistical significance excepting depression and anxiety.The scores of somatization,obsessive-compulsive,phobia anxiety and psychoticism were higher than the scores of Chinese-norm,and the scores of interpersonal sensitivity,hostility and paranoid ideation were lower than the scores of Chinese norm.Besides,the total scores of quality of life were 121.75±17.48.In the eight dimensions,the highest scores were 82.14±22.56 in physical functioning,and the lowest scores were 59.51±20.34 in general health.Comparing with general people norm,all dimensions had the statistical significance,and the scores of vitality and mental health dimensions were higher than the scores of general people norm;the scores of another six dimensions were lower than the scores of general people norm.Comparing with 65 and above years old people in Chinese norm,all dimensions had the statistical significance excepting role-emotional,and the scores of all the dimensions were higher than the scores of 65 and above years old people in Chinese norm.Further,different basic-demographic characteristics,behavior and living style,interpersonal relationship,bodily-health status in mental health and quality of life in the eldlery had the statistically difference.The main influencing factors of mental health in the elderly were self-care ability,exercise frequency in every week,relationship with children,sleeping time,educational level,and three meals a day.The main influencing factors of quality of life in the elderly were self-care ability,exercise frequency in every week,age,smoking,living areas,supporting model,and relationship with children.The result of canonical correlation analysis showed that there was the remarkable correlation between mental health and quality of life in the elderly,and that the better mental health,the higher quality of life in the elderly.Conclusions:The results showed that mental health of the elderly in Taiyuan was at the general level,and the situation of obsessive-compulsive was obvious.The elderly who had high level self-care ability,the more exercise times every week,enough sleeping,higher education,and regular foods had the better mental health.Also,the eldelry‘s quality of life in Taiyuan was relatively high.The elderly who had high level self-care ability,the more exercise times every week,the younger,the less smoking,living in the urban,home-based supporting,the better relationship with children had higher quality of life in the elderly.There was the remarkable correlation between mental health and quality of life in the elderly,and that the better mental health,the higher quality of life in the elderly.Thus,the elderly should improve somatic health,reduce the occurrence of chronic disease and disability,concern about the psychological health,and form the scientific behavior and living style.Government and society also should improve the elderly services,and pay attention to the special elderly groups.