Changes in the Mental Health Status of Rural Community-dwelling Elderly Over a Decade in Puducherry, South India: A Panel Study.

Context: Population aging is causing the rise in physical and mental illnesses, leading to the higher disability among the elderly. Despite advancements in healthcare, neglect of mental healthcare negatively impacts quality of life. Changes in the mental health status of the elderly people over time...

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Publicado en:Indian Journal of Community Medicine Vol. 51; no. 2; pp. 279 - 286
Autores principales: Ayyanar, Menaka, Sarkar, Sonali, Kattimani, Shivanand
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wolters Kluwer India Pvt Ltd Mar/Apr2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Mar/Apr2026
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        atl: Changes in the Mental Health Status of Rural Community-dwelling Elderly Over a Decade in Puducherry, South India: A Panel Study.
      aug:
        au:
          Ayyanar, Menaka
          Sarkar, Sonali
          Kattimani, Shivanand
        affil: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India
      sug:
        subj:
          Mental Status
          Mental Health
          Community Living In Old Age
          Mental Disorders Symptoms
          Depression Psychosocial Factors
          Cognition Disorders Psychosocial Factors
          Human
          India
          Male
          Female
          Middle Age
          Aged
          Aged, 80 and Over
          Panel Studies
          Semi-Structured Interview
          Questionnaires
          Psychological Tests
          Scales
          Descriptive Statistics
          Data Analysis Software
          Confidence Intervals
          Inferential Statistics
          Multivariate Analysis
          Activities of Daily Living
          Univariate Statistics
          Depression Epidemiology
          Cognition Disorders Epidemiology
          Sociodemographic Factors
          Age Factors
          Sex Factors
          Marital Status
          Employment Status
          Vision Disorders
          Hearing Disorders
          Educational Status
          Middle Aged: 45-64 years
          Aged: 65+ years
          Aged, 80 & over
          Male
          Female
      ab: Context: Population aging is causing the rise in physical and mental illnesses, leading to the higher disability among the elderly. Despite advancements in healthcare, neglect of mental healthcare negatively impacts quality of life. Changes in the mental health status of the elderly people over time remains unexplored. Aims: To assess changes in the mental health status of elderly individuals in rural Puducherry, India, focusing on depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, and factors associated with poor mental health. Settings and Design: Conducted in Thondamanatham, Puducherry, India, from March 2023 to March 2024, this panel study included individuals aged 60 and above. Elderly participants from a previous survey on mental health status in 2013 in the same village were traced and followed-up. Methods and Material: Three hundred twenty participants (72 from 2013 survey) were interviewed by using a Semi-structured questionnaire including the scales Geriatric depression scale-short form (GDS-15), Hindi Mini-Mental Status Examination (HMSE), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), and the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) in addition to the socio-demographic and self-reported morbidity details. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were employed to analyses associations between mental health indicators and demographic variables. Results: Participants' average age was 69.8 years, with a majority falling within the 60–69 age group. Common health issues included vision impairment (53.1%), hypertension (41.9%), and diabetes mellitus (35.9%). The prevalence of cognitive impairment (54.4%) was notably higher than that of depressive symptoms (25.3%) and showed significant associations with employment status and hearing impairment. Depressive symptoms declined by 6.9%, while CI increased by 8.3% among 2013 participants. Conclusions: The study revealed decreasing depressive symptoms and increasing cognitive impairment among the elderly, along with positive behavioral changes regarding substance use.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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