Self esteem and factors associated with social conditions in the elderly

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate self-esteem and its association with the social conditions in elderly corresidentes in the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais. Methods: Epidemiological study, population-based household survey, conducted with 279 elderly residents in urban and rural area of the municipality of Salto da Divisa/MG without cognitive impairment according to the criteria of the Mini Mental State Examination. For obtaining the data, it was used the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Brazil Old Age Schedule questionnaire. The data were tabulated and analyzed using SPSS®. To verify the association it was used the Pearson's chi-square test (X2), with 5% significance level. Results: Regarding self-esteem, 22,9% had high, 69,5% had normal and 7,5% had low self-esteem. Significant differences were found between self-esteem and the variables educational level (p = 0.005) and satisfaction with cohabitants (p = 0.048). Conclusion: In the studied population, to have education and interpersonal relationships at home are configured as protective factors for good self-esteem.