Psychiatric wellness in geriatric population of Jaipur city: An emerging challenge

Stress is a side effect of development and stress ultimately leads to mental ill health and the worst affected group is elderly. India is a developing country and mental illnesses are also on a rise. Present study aims to find out psychiatric wellness and its associated factors in geriatric population of Jaipur City.

A community bases survey was conducted with 30 cluster technique to identify houses with elderly (≥60 years) in Municipal Corporation area of Jaipur City. Semi-structured pro-forma was used to collect data. Modified Mini Screen (MMS) was used to identify psycho-wellness in elderly. Data were expressed in percentage and proportions and inferred by Chi-square test.

A quantifiable number (24.24%) of elderly was in either orange or red zone of psycho-wellness. With increasing age, proportion of elderly people were significantly (P<0.05) increasing in orange or red zone. Widows and widowers were found significantly (P<0.05) more affected as compared to married elderly living with their spouses. Not earning elderly were also more affected than those who were earning. Sex, caste, education, skill of occupation, socio-economic condition, housing conditions and type of family of elderly was not found to be associated with Psycho-wellness in elderly (P>0.05). So it can be concluded from study that about one fourth of the elderly had some diagnosable mental ailment. Mental ill health increases with increasing age. Widows/widower/divorcees/separated spouses also have more chances of mental illness.