2Gaziantep University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Division of Public Health Nursing GAZÄ°ANTEP
3Izmir Katip Celebi University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Fundamentals of Nursing Ä°ZMÄ°R Introduction: This study aimed to determine the effect of living arrangements of the elderly (living with their spouses in their own houses, living alone at their homes and living with their children) on their loneliness, depression and old age perception.
Materials and Method: This descriptive study was conducted with 228 elderly individuals who were living in the vicinity of four family health centers located in the provincial center of Gaziantep. A questionnaire consisting of 29 queries, the Loneliness Scale and the Geriatric Depression Scale were used in the study.
Results: The mean scores of both loneliness and depression were found to be highest in the elderly living alone in their own houses (49.04±14.79 and 17.71±7.32, respectively); the mean score of loneliness was 43.33±11.5 and the mean score of depression was 15.37±6.62 in the elderly living with their children, and the mean scores of both loneliness and depression were the lowest in the elderly living with their spouses in their own houses (39.18±11.73 and 13.92±6.78, respectively). There was a statistically significant relationship between the life styles of the elderly and their mean scores of both loneliness and depression as well as their perception of old age (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The results show that elderly people who live with spouses and children in their own homes experienced fewer depression and feeling of loneliness.
Keywords : Aged; Loneliness; Depression