ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of pain and somatic symptoms on depressive symptoms and quality of life in the elderly population.METHODS: This study analyzed 147 elderly people living in a small city. This study used the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT-K), Short Geriatric Depression Scale (SGDS-K), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-15), Geriatric Pain Measurement (GPM-K), World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHQQOL-BREF), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) as measuring tools for review of the elderly population. The student-t test and chi-square test were used to compare the characteristics of depression in the case of the participants. A hierarchical regression analysis was performed by the utilization of a Pearson's correlation test.RESULTS: Among the 147 elderly people studied, there were 43 (29.2%) who showed depressive symptoms. There was a difference in psychological variables according to depressive symptom between MSPSS (p < 0.01), GPM-K (p < 0.001), PHQ-15 (p < 0.001), and WHOQOL-BREF (p < 0.001). The quality of life of the elderly participants was significantly correlated with age (p < 0.05), annual income (p < 0.05), MSPSS (p < 0.01), and GPM-K (p < 0.01). As a note, the final regression model of the quality of life showed that 40.0% of the quality of life was related to high social support, low educational attainment, pain experienced by the participants and other characteristic physical symptoms.CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the effects of pain and somatic symptoms on the incidence of depression and quality of life in the elderly urban dwelling populations.