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Journals / Samsun Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 11 Sayı: 2

The Relationship Between Depression and Anxiety of Loneliness in the Elderly After the Earthquake

Deprem Sonrasında Yaşlılarda Yalnızlık Hissi ile Depresyon ve Anksiyete Arasındaki İlişki

Rukuye Aylaz(INONU UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-4287-932X
Fidan Balkaya(İNÖNÜ ÜNİVERSİTESİ, HEMŞİRELİK FAKÜLTESİ)0009-0007-8896-6131
Kemal Elyeli(NEAR EAST UNIVERSITY)0000-0001-7666-4282
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-10-09
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

It was found that 16.3% of the participants were very lonely, and 4.2% experienced intense loneliness.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Aim: This study was conducted to reveal the relationship between loneliness felt by older people after an earthquake and depression and anxiety.
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Key Findings & Data:Method: This cross-sectional study involved face-to-face interviews with 167 elderly individuals living in Malatya Container City, who were administered the Elderly Loneliness, Geriatric Depression, and Geriatric Anxiety Scales.
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Conclusion & Impact:It was found that 16.3% of the participants were very lonely, and 4.2% experienced intense loneliness.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Anksiyete · Depresyon · Yalnızlık

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to reveal the relationship between loneliness felt by older people after an earthquake and depression and anxiety. Method: This cross-sectional study involved face-to-face interviews with 167 elderly individuals living in Malatya Container City, who were administered the Elderly Loneliness, Geriatric Depression, and Geriatric Anxiety Scales. In the analyses, ANOVA, the Kruskal-Wallis test, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical regression were used. Results: When examining participants’ anxiety levels, the average total anxiety scale score was 23.87±10.56; among the sub-dimensions, the highest average was observed in the somatic anxiety sub-dimension. When the participants’ depression levels were examined, 33.5% were found to have mild depression, 20.4% had moderate depression, and 10.8% had severe depression. It was found that 16.3% of the participants were very lonely, and 4.2% experienced intense loneliness. However, participants with poor economic conditions, those living with relatives, or those living alone were found to experience more symptoms of loneliness, anxiety, and depression. A low correlation was found between loneliness and anxiety (r=0.407), while a positive and moderately significant correlation was found between loneliness and depression (r=0.562) and between depression and anxiety (r=0.596) (p<0.001). Conclusion and Recommendations: According to the results obtained, it was determined that older adults felt loneliness at an acceptable level after the earthquake, approximately one in three older adults had mild depression, and older adults experienced the physical symptoms of anxiety more. Furthermore, a relationship was identified between the loneliness experienced by elderly individuals after the earthquake and depression and anxiety. For this reason, it is recommended that public health nurses routinely screen elderly individuals for loneliness, depression, and anxiety as part of their mental health assessments.

Özet

Amaç: Bu çalışma, deprem sonrasında yaşlı bireylerin hissettikleri yalnızlık ile depresyon ve anksiyete arasındaki ilişkiyi ortaya koymak amacıyla yapılmıştır. Yöntem: Bu kesitsel çalışmada, Malatya Konteyner Kenti’nde yaşayan 167 yaşlı bireyle yüz yüze görüşme yapılmış olup, katılımcılara Yaşlılarda Yalnızlık, Geriatrik Depresyon ve Geriatrik Anksiyete Ölçekleri uygulanmıştır. Bu araştırmanın analizlerinde ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson korelasyon ve hiyerarşik regresyon testleri kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Katılımcıların anksiyete düzeyleri incelendiğinde, toplam anksiyete ölçeği puan ortalamasının 23.87±10.56 olduğu; alt boyutlar arasında en yüksek ortalamanın somatik anksiyete alt boyutunda gözlemlendiği saptanmıştır. Katılımcıların depresyon düzeyleri incelendiğinde, %33.5’inin hafif depresyon, %20.4’ünün orta düzey depresyon ve %10.8’inin ağır depresyon yaşadığı belirlenmiştir. Katılımcıların %16.3’ünün çok yalnız, %4.2’sinin ise yoğun yalnızlık yaşadığı tespit edilmiştir. Bununla birlikte, ekonomik durumu kötü olan, akrabalarıyla birlikte ya da yalnız yaşayan katılımcıların daha fazla yalnızlık, anksiyete ve depresyon belirtisi yaşadığı tespit edilmiştir. Yalnızlık ile anksiyete arasında düşük düzeyde bir korelasyon (r=0.407) bulunurken, yalnızlık ile depresyon (r=0.562) ve depresyon ile anksiyete (r=0.596) arasında pozitif yönde orta düzeyde anlamlı bir ilişki tespit edilmiştir (p<0.001). Sonuçlar ve Öneriler: Elde edilen sonuçlara göre, yaşlı bireylerin deprem sonrasında kabul edilebilir düzeyde yalnızlık hissettikleri, her üç yaşlıdan yaklaşık birinde hafif düzeyde depresyon bulunduğu ve yaşlıların anksiyetenin fiziksel belirtilerini daha fazla yaşadıkları belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca deprem sonrasında yaşlı bireylerin deneyimlediği yalnızlık ile depresyon ve anksiyete arasında bir ilişki olduğu saptanmıştır. Bu nedenle halk sağlığı hemşirelerinin ruh sağlığı değerlendirmelerinin bir parçası olarak yaşlı bireyleri yalnızlık, depresyon ve anksiyete açısından rutin biçimde taramaları önerilmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Aylaz, R., Balkaya, F., Elyeli, K. (2026). The Relationship Between Depression and Anxiety of Loneliness in the Elderly After the Earthquake. Samsun Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 2. https://doi.org/10.47115/jshs.1974417

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