Living condition and mental health status among the elderly living alone

Objective To analyze living condition and mental health status among the elderly living alone in Ji'ning city,Shandong province.Methods Totally 160 elderly people living alone and 911 elderly people living with relatives were interview ed with a questionnaire.Chi-square test and rank test were used for statistical analysis.Results The average age for 99 female(61.88%) and 61 male(38.12%) eldely living alone was 74.45 years and most of them (65.62%) had an education level of equal to or low er than primary school.Monthly income of the elderly living alone in urban area and rural area was 1 816.40 and 274.46 RMB yuan,respectively,while those of the elderly living with relatives was 1 911.37 and 372.59 yuan.The ratio of no contact with relatives or friends was 20.93% for the elderly living alone in urban area and 25.68% for those in rural area.The ratios of having no physical exercises was 60.47% for the elderly living alone in ruban area and 94.59% for those in rural area,respectively.The average mental health score of the elderly living alone and living with relatives were 45.21% and 46.81%,respectively.Conclusion Life quality and mental health status of the elderly living alone are lower than those of the elderly living with relatives and the situation should be improved.