Associations of self-neglect with quality of life in older people in rural China: a cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Elder self-neglect (ESN) has become a public health issue globally. Limited studies have focused on ESN, as well as the relationship between ESN and quality of life (QoL) in developing countries. The study's objective is to explore the association between ESN and QoL among rural elderly in China.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3,182 elder adults aged 60 years or older, using a cluster-sampling technique in one township in Dangtu, a county in Anhui province. All participants completed face-to-face interview in their household. QoL was assessed using a brief form of the World Health Organization's quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), and ESN was assessed using the Scale of the Elderly Self-neglect (SESN). Hierarchical linear regression models were used to analyze the associations between the ESN scores and QoL scores after adjusting for sociodemographic, social support, and physical and psychological variables.


RESULTS
The scores of overall ESN and five domains were significantly correlated with the scores of four QoL domains (p < 0.001). After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, social support, and physical and psychological health characteristics, elders who reported higher overall self-neglect scores had significantly lower scores in the four QoL domains (p < 0.001). Education, economic level, physical health, ADL, depression, and cognitive function are consistent predictors across all QoL domains.


CONCLUSIONS
ESN is an independent risk factor for poor QoL in elderly people in rural China. Understanding the role of ESN and its influence on QoL is important for the management of and intervention in ESN.
['Zhao|YuanYuan|Y|', 'Hu|CaiYun|C|', 'Feng|Fang|F|', 'Gong|Fengfeng|F|', 'Lu|ShanShan|S|', 'Qian|ZhenZhong|Z|', 'Sun|YeHuan|Y|']
D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D002681:China D003071:Cognition D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D003863:Depression D004552:Elder Abuse D005260:Female D006801:Humans D016014:Linear Models D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales D011788:Quality of Life D012424:Rural Population D012944:Social Support D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Self-neglect elderly quality of life