Abstract

AMARAL, Ana Saraiva; AFONSO, Rosa Marina  and  VERDE, Ignacio. Psychopathological symptomatology in institutionalized elders. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2020, vol.21, n.1, pp.137-143. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/20psd210121.

The admittance in a nursing home is usually perceived as a distressful event, since it implies leaving a familiar environment and getting used to the nursing home routines. Therefore, being admitted to a nursing home can be associated with the presence of psychopathological symptoms. This study aims to evaluate the presence of psychopathological symptoms in elderly living in nursing homes or attending adult daycare centers. This research integrates the Interdisciplinary Challenges On Neurodegeneration project - ICON (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000013), which included eighteen institutions of support to the elder. ICON’s assessment protocol was applied to all participants, which allowed the collection of sociodemographic and clinical data, as well as the assessment of cognitive and emotional state (Brief Symptom Inventory, BSI). This research included 262 participants, being 69.5% female and 30.5% male, with an average age of 82.78 (SD = 8.19). From all participants, 67.6% lived in a nursing home and 32.4% attended to adult day care centers. The results showed that 84.7% of the participants had a score above the cut-off point of the Positive Symptom Distress Index. Within the symptom dimensions, depression stands out with an average of 1.08 (SD = 0.82). The results highlight the presence of psychopathological symptoms in the participants. Being psychological intervention an effective method for its reduction, the relevance of psychological assessment and intervention stands out.

Keywords : Institucionalization; Psicophatological Symptoms; Depression; ICON.

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