In i̇ndividuals over the age of 65 who applied to the psychiatry clinic; evaluation of elderly neglect-abuse and the need for psychological support

Aging, which is the last stage of human development, brings with it many changes and health problems. Ageism and neglect-abuse of the elderly, which may affect the health of the elderly, are among the current mental health problems of the elderly. In this study, within the scope of descriptive and analytical clinical studies, ageism, neglect-abuse level and the psychological support they need were evaluated. The research sample consists of 135 elderly individuals over the age of 65 who applied to the Karadeniz Teknik Üniversitesi Farabi Hospital Psychiatry Clinic. Sociodemographic data form, "Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly People", "Geriatric Depression Scale", "Hwalek-Sengstock Elderly Abuse Screening Test" and "Ageism Scale" were used as data collection tools. The research data obtained were analyzed with the descriptive statistical methods and intergroup evaluations of the data through the SPSS 22.0 program, the Mann-Whitney U test and the data on exposure to abuse, depression and ageism were analyzed with the Kruskal Wallis test. A standard regression analysis was established to determine the psychological support needs of the participants. In addition, Spearman's rho correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the need for psychological support and the levels of depression, neglect-abuse and ageism. In the results obtained from the research; It has been observed that the depression, neglect-abuse and ageism levels of elderly individuals who do not participate in social activities are higher than the others. Social support levels of elderly individuals who use social media and do not experience discrimination were found to be higher. According to the elderly people who are hospitalized, compared to those who do not; It was observed that the level of social support was lower and the level of depression was higher. It was determined that 77% of the psychological support needs of elderly individuals could be explained by depression, neglect-abuse and ageism, and depression positively affected the need for psychological support (F(3-134)=152.04, p<0.05). In the study, it was found that psychological support for ageism and elderly neglect-abuse is an important need. Keywords: Aging, ageism, elder neglect and abuse, geriatric depression, psychological support