Self-management difficulties in Swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors, number of conditions, depression and health status

Objective This study describes patterns of self-management ease and difficulty among older adults with long-term health conditions and the associations with gender, level of education, number of conditions, depression and/or health status.Materials and methods Cross-sectional data were collected bet...

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Main Authors: Ingrid Olsson, Sabine Björk, Ulf Isaksson, Tanya Packer, George Kephart, Anna Nordström, Åsa Audulv
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-05-01
Series:Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2025.2511070
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author Ingrid Olsson
Sabine Björk
Ulf Isaksson
Tanya Packer
George Kephart
Anna Nordström
Åsa Audulv
author_facet Ingrid Olsson
Sabine Björk
Ulf Isaksson
Tanya Packer
George Kephart
Anna Nordström
Åsa Audulv
author_sort Ingrid Olsson
collection DOAJ
description Objective This study describes patterns of self-management ease and difficulty among older adults with long-term health conditions and the associations with gender, level of education, number of conditions, depression and/or health status.Materials and methods Cross-sectional data were collected between 2021–2022 in a municipality in northern Sweden. The survey included demographic and health-related questions. To assess self-management ease or difficulty and symptoms of depression, the Patient Reported Inventory of Self-Management of Chronic Conditions (PRISM-CC) and the Geriatric Depression Scale were used. 516 older adults between 72–73 years of age with long-term health conditions were included. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to describe patterns of self-management ease and difficulty and to examine which factors were associated with self-management difficulty.Results Most older adults did not experience self-management difficulty. There were, however, differences between the seven PRISM-CC domains. The Internal domain (managing negative emotions and stress) had the highest percentage (25.39%) of older adults with self-management difficulty. In all domains, there was also a subgroup of individuals (n = 26) that had noticeably lower PRISM-CC scores (more difficulty). A strong association between having depressive symptoms or having poor health status and self-management difficulty was found.Conclusion This study highlights the need for regular mental health screenings and individualized self-management support for older adults. Future research should explore intervention strategies that integrate mental health support into self-management programs for individuals with long-term health conditions.
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spelling doaj-art-9d1487ec99a1410284f237d41bb8376e2025-08-20T03:55:41ZengTaylor & Francis GroupScandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care0281-34321502-77242025-05-0111210.1080/02813432.2025.2511070Self-management difficulties in Swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors, number of conditions, depression and health statusIngrid Olsson0Sabine Björk1Ulf Isaksson2Tanya Packer3George Kephart4Anna Nordström5Åsa Audulv6Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, SwedenDepartment of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, SwedenDepartment of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, SwedenDepartment of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, SwedenDepartment of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, SwedenDept. of Medical Sciences, Rehabilitation Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala University Hospital, SwedenDepartment of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, SwedenObjective This study describes patterns of self-management ease and difficulty among older adults with long-term health conditions and the associations with gender, level of education, number of conditions, depression and/or health status.Materials and methods Cross-sectional data were collected between 2021–2022 in a municipality in northern Sweden. The survey included demographic and health-related questions. To assess self-management ease or difficulty and symptoms of depression, the Patient Reported Inventory of Self-Management of Chronic Conditions (PRISM-CC) and the Geriatric Depression Scale were used. 516 older adults between 72–73 years of age with long-term health conditions were included. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to describe patterns of self-management ease and difficulty and to examine which factors were associated with self-management difficulty.Results Most older adults did not experience self-management difficulty. There were, however, differences between the seven PRISM-CC domains. The Internal domain (managing negative emotions and stress) had the highest percentage (25.39%) of older adults with self-management difficulty. In all domains, there was also a subgroup of individuals (n = 26) that had noticeably lower PRISM-CC scores (more difficulty). A strong association between having depressive symptoms or having poor health status and self-management difficulty was found.Conclusion This study highlights the need for regular mental health screenings and individualized self-management support for older adults. Future research should explore intervention strategies that integrate mental health support into self-management programs for individuals with long-term health conditions.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2025.2511070Self-managementself-careagedchronic diseasePRISM-CCprimary health care
spellingShingle Ingrid Olsson
Sabine Björk
Ulf Isaksson
Tanya Packer
George Kephart
Anna Nordström
Åsa Audulv
Self-management difficulties in Swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors, number of conditions, depression and health status
Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care
Self-management
self-care
aged
chronic disease
PRISM-CC
primary health care
title Self-management difficulties in Swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors, number of conditions, depression and health status
title_full Self-management difficulties in Swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors, number of conditions, depression and health status
title_fullStr Self-management difficulties in Swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors, number of conditions, depression and health status
title_full_unstemmed Self-management difficulties in Swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors, number of conditions, depression and health status
title_short Self-management difficulties in Swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors, number of conditions, depression and health status
title_sort self management difficulties in swedish older adults and associations with sociodemographic factors number of conditions depression and health status
topic Self-management
self-care
aged
chronic disease
PRISM-CC
primary health care
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/02813432.2025.2511070
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