Introduction / Rationale: Leisure activities can promote both social and mental well-being. It is unclear whether participation in leisure activities is associated with depressive symptoms and/or cognitive impairment in older adult day care users.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between leisure activity participation and depressive symptoms in adult day care users over the age of 65.
Methods / Approach: A total of 224 older adults with a score of 10 or more on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) participated in this study. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15). Participants were stratified based on GDS-15 score (≥11, 10-6 and ≤5) or MMSE score (≥24, 23-20 and 19-10). Logistic regression was used to compare those with and without leisure activity participation (n=186 and n=38) on depression symptoms while controlling for age, sex, and cognitive impairment.
Results / Practice Implications: Logistic regression analysis showed that the participants with GDS-15 scores of 6-10 and ≥11 had lower odds for leisure activity participation than those with GDS-15 scores ≤5 (odds ratio=0.26 and 0.08, respectively, p<0.01). Compared to those with MMSE scores ≥23, the odds ratio of those with MMSE scores 20-23 was not significant, but the odds ratio of those with MMSE scores 10-19 was 0.21 (p=0.01).
Conclusion / Contribution to the occupational therapy profession: Depressive symptoms were considered to be a potential factor hindering participation in leisure activities in older adult day care users with cognitive impairment. Occupational therapists can help maintain their cognitive function and prevent worsening of their depression by supporting their leisure activities.