The prevalence of common mental disorders and associated factors among the elderly in a Brazilian city

With advancing age, the presence of psychic morbidities is more frequent and jeopardizes the quality of life of the population. The scope of this study was to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with Common Mental Disorders (CMD) in the elderly population resident in a municipality. It involved a cross-sectional study with 310 elderly people residing in Ibicuí in the State of Bahia. A questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, health status and screening for CMD (Self-Reporting Questionnaire - SRQ-20) was used. For statistical analysis, Poisson regression was used, with calculation of prevalence ratios, confidence intervals (95%) and p ≤ 0.05 significance level. The general prevalence of CMD was 55.8%. The female individuals who reported rheumatism presented higher prevalence of CMD. It is recommended that prevention and control of these morbidities among the elderly population of the municipality should be implemented.