Abstract:
Background: According to WHO estimates, geriatric people between 10% and 20% worldwide suffer from geriatric depression. Scientific studies from the Rwandan context have focused on the prevalence and factors of depression in the general population and genocide survivors. However, the problem of geriatric depression remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate geriatric depression and associated family determinants among the Rwandan elderly.
Methods: The study adopted a community-based cross-sectional study design which was conducted on three groups of elderly people supported by the NSINDAGIZA organization. A convenience sample of 107 participants aged between 65-95 (20 males, 87 females, M=71.19, SD=10.13) participated in the study. Sociodemographic information such as marital status, gender, and education was first collected. Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), a short form of the Quality-of-Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q-SF), Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA Loneliness Scale), Family Support Scale for Elderly People (FSEP), Multidimensional Neglectful Behaviour Scale (MNBS) and Adult Attitude to Grief (AAG) scale were used for collecting relevant score while SPSS version 24 served for statistical analysis.
Results: Overall, 64.5% of the participants had significant symptoms of geriatric depression. Study findings revealed that 64.5% of the participants had significant symptoms of geriatric depression with higher symptoms in women than in males. Significant family determinants that were found to be associated with geriatric depression were gender (β= 6.12, t=
3.83, p <.001), family support (β = -0.11, t = -2.469, p<.05) and Quality of life enjoyment and satisfaction (β = -0.196, t = -2.747, p < .01).
Conclusions: Geriatric depression was relatively high in our participants. Adequate family based interventions targeting improving the well-being of geriatric people in their respective families are needed.
