Disability and alexithymia among elderly people

Abstract

Objective: The presence of disability and alexithymia in old age are significant factors which can impact the health conditions and social lives of people. The aim of this study is to evaluate the characteristics of disability and alexithymia suffered by the elderly living in the city centre of Gumushane. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted by reaching 437 elderly people (65 and above) registered to 14 family practice units located in the Gumushane city centre, selected through systematic sampling. Data was gathered with the use of a questionnaire admitted through face to face interviews, using the Questionnaire Brief Disability (BDQ) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20). The results were evaluated using a statistical software program. Descriptive data were presented as percentage, mean, median, and range. In the resulting analyses, p <0.05 was accepted as the benchmark for statistical significance. Results: The mean age of the participants was 74.3±7.1 years (range: 65-100), of which 63.4% were female and 36.6% were male. While the mean score of the Questionnaire Brief Disability was 10.25±5.03 (min:0, max:22), the TAS-20 mean score was 49.28±9.58 (min:25, max:85). 86% of the elderly were found to have varying degrees of disability. Factors that were found to boost the mean scores of the TAS-20 (p<0.05) were: being a woman, widowed/divorced, having a low level of education, having any kind of mental problems, constrained mobility, lack of exercise, poor health perception regarding general-physical-mental-emotional and social health levels. The total alexithymia scores were higher for those participants who experienced varying degrees of violence in their lives and for those who had difficulty expressing themselves in family settings; compared to participants who did not experience violence or those who could express themselves with ease. A weak positive correlation was established between BDQ and TAS-20, TAS-1 and TAS-2 scores (p=0.001).  Conclusions: In this study, it was found that almost four out of five elderly people have a disability. The mean alexithymia score was found to be less than half of the maximum score of the scale. For the wellbeing of the elderly, healing and rehabilitation efforts should be planned and implemented, with a particular focus on factors that affect the incidence of disability and alexithymia.