1Professor & Dean, Manipal College of Nursing, Mangalore, Manipal University
2Assistant Professor-Senior Scale, Manipal College of Nursing, Mangalore, Manipal University
3Assistant Professor-Senior Scale, Manipal College of Nursing, Mangalore, Manipal University
4Lecturer, Manipal College of Nursing, Mangalore, Manipal University
*Address for Correspondence: MS. SAVITHA SUVARNA Lecturer, Manipal College of Nursing, Center for Basic Sciences Building, Bejai, Mangalore-575004 E-mail: savitha.suvarna@manipal.edu
Online published on 29 November, 2017.
Somatoform disorders represent a group of disorders characterized by physical symptoms suggesting a medical disorder. The somatoform disorders have long been ignored by geriatric psychiatry.
Main objective of this study is to compare the somatization disorder symptoms in institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly population
Data were collected from 60 samples (30 from old age home and 30 from urban community). Purposive sampling technique is applied for the recruitment of subjects and a 13 item somatic symptom severity scale (standardized scale; Pfizer 1999) is used for data collection. Descriptive statistics is used to summarize the collected information.
Results of this study show that non-institutionalized elderly has expressed their problems comfortably as compared to institutionalized elderly; hence the complaints are more among them.
It was found that non-institutionalized elderly has expressed their problems comfortably as compared to institutionalized elderly; hence the complaints are more among them. The study is suggestive of the need for identifying and treating somatoform disorder in elderly population
somatoform disorder, institutionalized and non institutionalized elderly
