The prevalence of depression and its risk factors among Malay elderly in residential care

Normala, R. and Azlini, C. and Nurul Jannah, M.J and Lukman, Z.M and Asyikin, S.S. (2014) The prevalence of depression and its risk factors among Malay elderly in residential care. In: Bridging the Unbridgeable: Changing Paradigms in Malay-Indonesian Studies, 14-17 May 2014, Hankuk University, Korea.

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Abstract

This study is part of larger research project under Research Acculturation Grant Scheme (RAGS/2012/UNISZA/SS03/3) funded by the Sultan Zainal Abidin University. The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of depression and to identify risk factors related to depression among Malay elderly in residential care. Changes in social structure and economic status have shifted the direction of care for elderly people, as the value of filial piety has been gradually decreased in Malay culture. The researchers hypothesized that the level of depression among institutionalized Malay elderly people is high. Altogether, 98 of Malay elderly (men 41.8%, women 58.2%) participated in this study from eight residential cares in Peninsular Malaysia. This study was using purposive sampling technique, where the respondents were recruited based on the criteria needed purposely to achieve the research aim: Malay, aged 60 years and above, able to communicate, and with no severe mental and/or physical health problem. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30) developed by Yesavage et al. (1983) was used to assess depression among the elderly. Overall, 70.4% of the respondents had been diagnosed with depression, where 39.8% had mild depression and 30.6% were suffered from major depression. Five factors from the 13 risk factors of depression hypothesized have been identified as the high risk factors of depression i.e. sadness, helplessness, isolation, loneliness and loss of interest in activities (76.8-86.9%).

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