Factors associated with family dysfunction among non-institutionalized older people

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the factors and their prevalence associated with family dysfunction, as well as the functional capacity of the elderly population, in the capital of the state of Goiás, Brazil. This was a cross-sectional and analytical study, which was developed with elderly people who reported family dysfunction. Global capacity and family dynamics were analyzed. For the 149 elderly people with family dysfunction, there was prevalence of the female gender, aged between 60 to 69, married, multi-person home, normal health, and presence of pain. Functional capacity evaluation revealed partial dependence for self-care. In the family dynamics, dialog and time shared by the family were the most fragile aspects, with moderate satisfaction for all domains. High family dysfunction remained associated with falls (p=0.003) and previous episodes of acute myocardial infarction (p=0.004) using Poisson's analysis. The elderly expressed preserved functional autonomy and capacity regarding self-care and social living.