Activities of daily living, quality of life, social support and depression levels of elderly individuals in Turkish society.

OBJECTIVE: To determine activities of daily living, quality of life, social support and depression levels of elderly individuals and the factors affecting each of these items. METHODS: The cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2009 to June 2012 in Edirne, Turkey, and included elderly individuals over 60 years of age. Data was collected using a survey form, the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Data was analysed using Spearman's correlation analysis. RESULTS: Of the 912 subjects in the study, 509(55.8%) were females and 402(44.2%) were males, with an overall mean age of 68.05 ± 6.6 years (range: 60-94 years). Besides, 644(70.6%) of the subjects were married and 595(65.2%) were living with their spouse. The levels of social support and activities of daily living of elderly individuals with a high quality of life were higher, and their levels of depression were lower (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Older age, chronic health problems and polypharmacy should be taken into account when planning healthcare services for the elderly to ensure that they maintain a better quality of life.

Screening of Turkish women for postpartum depression within the first postpartum year: the risk profile of a community sample.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) and potential risk factors giving rise to PPD among Turkish women. DESIGN: A descriptive design and random survey method were used. SAMPLE: Collected from 9 public health centers, the sample consisted of 679 mothers within their first year after delivery. MEASUREMENTS: The Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and a risk factor questionnaire were used during home visits. RESULTS: The EPDS results revealed a 25.6% prevalence of higher-level depression (12 or above) and a 16.7% prevalence of lower-level depression. Maximum prevalence occurred at 2, 8, 10, and 12 months postpartum. Seventeen independent variables were found to be associated with the elevated scores on EPDS. Strong predictors of depression were as follows: previous psychiatric illness (odds ratio [OR] 15.95); smoking (OR 4.17); lower economic status (OR 4.10); relationship problems with husband (OR 3.49) or mother-in-law (OR 2.53); dissatisfaction in social relations (OR 1.53); previous loss of a baby (OR 7.49); and giving birth to a baby girl (OR 2.54). CONCLUSIONS: PPD is common among Turkish women. There is an increased need to educate public and health care practitioners about PPD. Public health nursing interventions, in particular, need to be developed to provide support to postpartum women.