The effect of drug adherence and lonelity levels on quality of life of elderly living in rural area

Purpose: In the study, it was aimed to determine the effect of drug adherence and loneliness levels of elderly people living in rural areas with chronic diseases on their quality of life. Material and Method: The population of this research, which is designed in a relationship-seeking type, consists of elderly individuals living in the villages of Kavak district of Samsun province. Elderly individuals living in rural areas, having any chronic disease and taking medication continuously were included in the study. The data of the study were collected with sociodemographic questionnaire, CASP Quality of life Scale, Medication Adherence Reporting Scale, UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale from 396 elderly people. Ethics committee approval was obtained before data were collected. Descriptive statistical methods, Pearson correlation and Multiple regression analysis were performed for data evaluation. Results: Individuals participating in the research; 61.6% were female and their mean age was 70.4 ± 6.2%. The Drug Adherence Reporting Scale score was 20.2±4.6, the Elderly's Quality of Life Scale total score was 18.1±6.2 and the Loneliness scale score was 5.7±1.9. As a result of the analysis, drug adherence and loneliness levels of the elderly living in rural areas affect their quality of life (R2=.084, p=0.001). Conclusion: In the study, it was determined that the loneliness levels and quality of life of the elderly people living in rural areas were at a moderate level, and their drug adherence levels were at a high level. Loneliness levels and drug adherence of elderly individuals affect their quality of life. While loneliness affects negatively, adherence to medication affects positively.