Prevalence of Mental Disorders in a Home for Senior Citizens: A Pilot Study in Taiwan

某老人院精神疾病盛行率的先導研究

10.29478/TJP.200812.0005

曾憲洋(Hin-Yeung Tsang)

CGMS-AGECAT ； 老人院 ； 流行病學 ； CGMS-AGECAT ； home for senior citizens ； epidemiology

台灣精神醫學

22卷4期（2008 / 12 / 01）

287 - 295

英文

目的：國外對居住在老人院居民的調查顯示精神疾病的盛行率相當高，但是國內這一方面的研究卻很少。本研究係以標準化的診斷工具探討對南部某一公立老人院居民的精神疾病分佈及其相關的危險因子。方法：隨機抽取200位住在高雄縣一座公立老人院中的老人，由精神科醫師以標準化半結構性診斷工具：中文版「老人精神狀態量表」(Geriatric Mental State Schedule)檢定各種精神疾病之盛行率。结果：精神疾病的盛行率為37.6%，其中19.7%罹患「器質性腦症」，12.7%為「憂鬱性精神官能症」，2.3%為「重度型憂鬱症」，1.2%為「精神分裂症」，1.2%為「慮病症」及0.6%為「焦慮症」；利用邏輯性回歸統計法，沒有找出罹患精神疾病的危險因子。結論：此初探性的研究居住在老人院的居民有相當高比例罹患精神疾病，雖然本研究只針對南部一所公立老人院作調查，其結果不能代表其他老人院的情況或台灣整體居住在老人院中的老人精神疾病的情況；但是仍然非常重要，衛生及社會福利部門宜及早提供老人院的工作人員對精神疾病的認識，擬定因應策略，以應付老年化社會的需求。

Objective: Epidemiologic studies have shown a high prevalence of mental disorders among institutionalized elders in Western countries. Mental problems among elderly people living in homes for senior citizens in Taiwan have only been scarcely reported about. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of mental disorders among the elderly people living in a home for senior citizens in southern Taiwan using a standardized diagnostic instrument. Methods: Two hundred residents aged 65 years and over living in a government-run home for senior citizen in southern Taiwan were randomly chosen for the study. We used the Chinese version of the Geriatric Mental State Schedule associated with the Automated Geriatric Examination for Computer Assisted Taxonomy (CGMS-AGECAT) for case identification. Results: The one-month prevalence of any mental disorder was 37.6%, and prevalences for organic mental disorder, schizophrenia, depressive psychosis, depressive neurosis, hypochondriasis and anxiety disorder were 19.7%, 1.2%, 2.3%, 12.7%, 1.2% and 0.6%, respectively. Logistic regression did not show significant risk factors, in sociodemographic variables, for the existence of mental disorders among our participants. Conclusions: This pilot study revealed a high prevalence of mental disorders in a home for senior citizens in Taiwan. Although such rates were relatively low compared to those reported from Western countries, our health authorities and policy makers should be aware of the potential hazard of mental disorders among the residents living in homes for elderly citizens. Further independent study with represented sample is necessary to replicate these results of the prevalence of mental disorders among residents of home for elderly citizens in Taiwan.

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