Prevalence and the affecting factors on depression, anxiety and stress (DASS) among elders in Qazvin City, in the Northwest of Iran

BACKGROUND: Depression, anxiety, and stress are among the most common mental health disorders of the elderly that affect the health of individuals and society. Considering the growing trend of the elderly population in Iran, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of these disorders and to identify the factors affecting them in the elderly. METHODS: We conducted this cross-sectional study using cluster random sampling on 301 elderly people referred to Qazvin health centers. Data was collected using the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) questionnaire and analyzed through univariate and multivariate linear regression tests with the interaction between variables in STATA Version 14 software. A P-value of less than 0.05 was significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression was 45.5%, anxiety 35.5%, and stress 40.2%. Our findings showed that 22.9%, 7.9%, and 14.3% of people had severe and very severe levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The variables of age, comorbidity, living status and job status had a significant relationship with the DASS score (p < 0.05). There was an interaction between the variables of comorbidity and income status influencing the DASS score (β = 0.68, 95% CI 0.15, 1.22). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress in the elderly was high, indicating the inappropriate status of their mental health. Therefore, it is necessary to take operational steps to reduce some problems in the elderly, prioritize the elderly suffering from concurrent diseases, the unemployed elderly, those who do not have a certain income, and the elderly who live alone.