Perceived stress and coping strategies among elderly people residing in geriatric centers of Nepal

Sunita Kharel
Lecturer, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, College of Medical Sciences
Gayananda Mandal
Professor, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Pushpa Parajuli
Professor, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Ram Sharan Mehta
Professor, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Baikuntha Acharya
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Anju Khapung
Lecturer, Department of Community Dentistry, Maharajgung Medical Campus
Keywords:
Coping strategies Government geriatric center Perceived stress scale Private geriatric center

Abstract

Introduction: Senior citizens are one of the most vulnerable groups in Nepalese society. Loneliness and stress among senior people are on the rise due to a lack of dependable caregivers and unmet medical and emotional needs. However, some elders may have better coping strategies based on their life experiences and physical/mental well-being. The objective of our study was to assess the stress and coping strategies among elderly people residing in government and private geriatric centers in Central Nepal.


Materials and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the 54 respondents selected conveniently from two geriatric centers in Devghat, Nepal. The centers were Devghat Samaj Kalyan Kendra, a government geriatric center, and Devghat NRNA Briddashram, a private geriatric center.


Results: Results show that 51.9% of the seniors living in the facilities had moderate levels of stress while 1.8% of respondents reported high levels of stress. The most commonly used coping strategies included self-distraction followed by the use of positive reframing and religion. Among the elders living in government and private geriatric centers, a significant difference was observed in behavioral disengagement (p-value 0.003). However, no significant correlation was seen between the perceived stress scale score and overall coping score (p-value 0.08) among the respondents.


Conclusion: Our study suggests that respondents in private geriatric center display more stress than the respondents in government geriatric center.


How to Cite

Kharel, S., Mandal, G., Parajuli, P., Mehta, R. S., Acharya, B., & Khapung, A. (2024). Perceived stress and coping strategies among elderly people residing in geriatric centers of Nepal. Journal of Psychiatrists’ Association of Nepal, 13(2), 35-38. https://doi.org/10.3126/jpan.v13i2.74887


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