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Anxiety and somatization: prevalence and correlates of mental health in older people (60+ years) in Botswana

Abstract Objective This study explored key factors that influence mental health in older people in Botswana. The prevalence of anxiety and somatization in the elderly population was also calculated. Methods A cross-sectional study stratified by district was done to collect information on the elderly (N = 378; age: M = 71.8, SD = 9.1). The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) measures were used to collect data on the outcome variables (somatization and anxiety). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to investigate the associations among the predictor variables and each of the outcome variables. Results The prevalence of anxiety and somatization in older people was 18.6% and 25.3%. The correlates significantly associated with somatization in the final model after adjusting for all influencing factors were: area of residence (rural) (OR: 2.5, 95% CI: 1.4–5), self-perceived health, non-medication use, self-esteem, and mastery. With regards to anxiety, non-medication use (OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0–0.9), lack of social support, low self-esteem (OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 1.6 − 9.4), and poor QOL (OR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.2–0.9) were significantly associated with anxiety. Conclusions Eradicating poverty, provision of services, promoting positive emotions, changing health perceptions and QOL may augment mental health in older people.