Predictors of Discrepancies between Psychological Service Needs and Utilization among Long-Term Care Facility Residents

Chiu-Yen Chen ； Shu-Jung Yu ； Huai-Ting Kuo ； I-Chuan Li

《International Journal of Gerontology》 13卷4期 (2019/12) Pp. 349-353

https://doi.org/10.6890/IJGE.201912_13(4).0017

摘要

Background: Depressive symptom prevalence among long-term care facility (LTCF) residents is increasing. Accordingly, this study examined psychological service needs, their utilization and influencing factors, and discrepancies between needs and utilization. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Residents of 13 community-based LTCFs in Northern Taiwan answered a structured questionnaire covering demographics, health status, psychological service needs, and service utilization. Results: Participants were 117 residents with an average age of 80.2 and a mean of 3.4 diseases; 79.5% had severe disabilities and 77.8% showed depressive tendencies. Except for pain care, needs for all services exceeded utilization, with the highest discrepancy observed for psychological assessment (Mean: -2.12, SD: 1.33). Depressive symptoms were a significant predictor of this discrepancy (R^2: 27.9%, β: -0.51, t: -6.64, p ＜ 0.001). Conclusion: Psychological needs and service use assessment should be included in LTCF routines to reduce depressive symptoms and improve quality of life.

關鍵字

depression ； health services ； long-term care ； Taiwan