Mental health and social relations in older rural population.
OBJECTIVE
To describe and analyze the influence of social relations in the elderly in the rural setting with depression.


METHODS



METHODS
A cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Patients (N=787) over 64 years, non-institutionalized who belong to the Basic Health Zone Substations (Zaragoza), a representative rural area of Aragon. The following variables were evaluated: diagnosis of depression, comorbidity, taking antidepressants, sociodemographic variables and use of social resources (OARS questionnaire), instrumental activities of daily living (Lawton-Brody test) and basics daily living activities (Barthel test).


RESULTS
According to multivariate analysis, the risk of suffering depression is higher in women (OR=5.6 CI=3.0- 10.5), patients with comorbidity (OR=12.2 CI=5.1-29.2), people who speak by phone with other at least 5 times a week (OR=3.1 CI=1.7-5.5), who have no one to confide in (OR=3.9 CI=1.8-8.5), sometimes feeling alone (OR=2.7 CI=1.0-4.8), they do not see their family as much as they want to (OR=2.1 CI=1.3-4.4) and who are dependent on others for daily living activities (OR= 2.6 CI=1.5-4.6).


CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm the findings in other studies and provide clues to guide interventions aimed at improving the quality of life of the elderly.
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. erubio@unizar.es
Encarnación
E
Rubio-Aranda
Gema
G
Blasco-Montón
Magdalena
M
Comín-Comín
Tomás
T
Martínez-Terrer
Rosa
R
Magallón-Botaya
Javier
J
García-Campayo
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D012423:Rural Health