Middle Eastern Journal of Disability Studies

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Mazaheri Meybodi A, Khosravi Mashizi A. Investigating Anxiety, Depression, and Sexual Dysfunction in the Elderly. MEJDS 2021; 11 :140-140
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-2573-en.html

Background & Objectives: Anxiety, depression, and sexual problems are common in old age. Approximately one-third of the elderly with physical health problems experience anxiety and depression; however, anxiety is a widespread problem in older people’s lives and is more common than depression. Moreover, the simultaneous development of anxiety is associated with health problems. This is because it is correlated with increased dysfunction, more healthcare visits, and decreased health-related quality of life. The Elderly are more prone to anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction, i.e., associated with reduced quality of life and adversely impacts the elderly’s biopsychological function. The sexual problems of the elderly are usually hidden from the views of the physician or healthcare provider. This issue negatively impacts the mental health of the elderly. Thus, the elderly are exposed to potential threats, such as increased chronic diseases, loneliness, isolation, and the lack of social support. With the increase in the elderly population, the prevalence of mental disabilities increases, which is critical for healthcare and social systems. The elderly population of Iran is increasing. Few studies have been conducted in this regard. Thus, our study aimed to determine and compare depression, anxiety, and sexual inefficiency among the male and female elderly.
Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study was performed on 100 elderly, including 53 women and 47 men referring to Taleghani Hospital in Tehran City, Iran. Samples were randomly selected by the convenience sampling method from the clients and evaluated through questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Older people over 60 years living in Tehran who were willing to participate in the study were included. Elderly with chronic illnesses, mild to severe mental conditions, those using drugs that affect sexual potency, and those who did not want to continue research were excluded. The Hospital Anxiety assessed depression and anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and sexual inactivity were asked by the Arizona Scale Sexual Experience (ASEX). The obtained data were analyzed using mean comparison of t-tests, correlation, and Chi-squared test at the confidence level of 95% and the significance level below 5 in SPSS.
Results: The gender-wise differences in the elderly revealed that sexual dysfunction was significantly higher in the female group than in men (p=0.001). Moreover, women were significantly more anxious than men (p=0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups concerning depression (p<0.001). The study data indicated that between sexual dysfunction and depression in men (p<0.001, r=0.42), male anxiety (p<0.001, r=0.53), and between sexual dysfunction and depression in women (p<0.001, r=0.66), female anxiety (p<0.001, r=0.48), there was a significant linear correlation between male and female elderly. There was also a significant linear correlation between sexual dysfunction and depression (p<0.001, r=0.49) and between sexual dysfunction and anxiety (p<0.001, r=0.42) in the elderly. With increasing sexual dysfunction, depression and anxiety are elevated among the elderly.
Conclusion: The present study data indicated that anxiety, depression, and sexual problems in the elderly are high. Older women have more sexual dysfunction and anxiety than older men. Furthermore, sexual dysfunction directly increases depression and anxiety in older men and women. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention to the diagnosis and treatment of these critical characteristics among the elderly and gender. Accordingly, it certainly improves the mental health status and quality of life in the elderly.