[A study of mental distress in old age]

Sociocultural and economic features of elderly individuals have important effects on their mental health. We evaluated the influence of those factors in 135 elderly individuals distributed in four groups depending on their personal relation setting: 39 were inmates of a closed institution, 40 lived by themselves, 43 lived with their families and 13 were displaced. The evaluation was carried out with a social questionnaire and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ--28 items). The overall prevalence of psychological distress (positive GHQ) in the study sample was 51.1%, with a significant relation between distress and the following variables: personal relation setting (p less than 0.001), rural or urban origin (p less than 0.05), satisfaction with personal relation (p less than 0.01) and degree of personal autonomy (p less than 0.0001). No significant relation was found between psychological distress and age, sex, marital status, amount of the pension or educational level. It was concluded that there is a high prevalence of psychological distress in the population over 65 years. There is a remarkable influence of the personal relation setting and family milieu on the preservation of psychological well being in the elderly and the prevention of feelings of misery and loneliness.