Multimorbidity, depression and quality of life among elderly people assisted in the family health strategy in Senador Guiomard, Acre, Brazil

Abstract

This study analyzed the association between multimorbidity, depression and quality of life among the elderly in the Family Health Strategy (FHS). A cross-sectional study was conducted among the elderly in the FHS in Senador Guiomard (State of Acre). The study employed the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Differences in descriptive variables in elderly people with and without multimorbidity were estimated using Pearson’s chi-squared test, while the associations between multimorbidity and depression and quality of life were estimated using the logistic regression technique. It was seen that elderly people with depression represented 27% of the sample, this being more prevalent among elderly people with multimorbidity than those without, the former being twice as likely to be subject to depression. Likewise, individuals with multimorbidity had a greater chance of worse quality of life in the physical, social and total quality of life domains (all with p ≤ 0.010), though not in the environmental domain (p = 0.493). Thus, multimorbidity in the elderly is associated with the presence of depression and poor quality of life, which imposes the challenge on the FHS of guaranteeing the elderly living out their senescence without suffering and diminished quality of life.