The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyse quality of life, socio-demographic characteristics, family support, satisfaction with health services, and effect of integrative community therapy among non-institutionalised elderly adults with and without symptoms of depression in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Data from elderly adults with (n = 59) and without (n = 61) depressive symptoms were compared. The instruments used were the Mini-Mental State Examination, the short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale, a clinical socio-demographic questionnaire, the abbreviated version of the World Health Organisation Quality of Life questionnaire, the Family Assessment Device, and the Patient Satisfaction with Mental Health Services Rating Scale. Elderly adults with depressive symptoms had lower quality of life in the social relations domain than did those without depressive symptoms (p = 0.003). In addition, compared with those without depression, fewer elderly adults with depressive symptoms attended integrative community therapy (p = 0.04); they also reported a low degree of family involvement in problem solving (p = 0.04) and showed apathy regarding their satisfaction with health services (p = 0.007). These results have important implications in the decision-making process with regard to strategies for improving the health status of elderly adults with depressive symptoms.
Keywords: Depression; Elderly adult; Integrative community therapy; Quality of life.