Anxious and depressive symptoms in older adults treated by the Family Health Strategy in rural areas of Campo Grande/MS

Abstract

Objective To identify the prevalence of anxious and depressive symptoms, and associated factors, in older adults treated by the Family Health Strategy in rural areas of Campo Grande/MS. Method A cross-sectional study with proportional stratified simple random probabilistic sampling was conducted. Instruments were applied to characterize the sample and assess multimorbidity and functioning, in addition to the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) and the Depression Scale Geriatric (GDS) for screening depressive and anxious symptoms. The prevalence ratio (PR), and respective 95% confidence interval (95%CI), was estimated using Poisson Regression with robust variance. Results 249 older adults participated in the study. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 23.29% (95%CI 18.42-28.98) and anxiety symptoms was 22.09% (95%CI 17.33-27.20). The presence of depressive symptoms was associated with age, marital status, physical activity, self-rated health status, and medication use. The presence of anxious symptoms was associated with gender, marital status, physical activity, self-rated health status, and the presence of multimorbidity. Conclusion Mental illness stems from social vulnerabilities and physical health conditions to which older adults are exposed. The older population in rural areas needs greater visibility and mental health care through the Family Health Strategy, calling for the development of public policies for this population focusing on health promotion, prevention, and rehabilitation.