The influence of family and social relationships on the consumption of psychotropic drugs by the elderly

Psychotropic drugs are the second most commonly used medication by Quebecʹs elderly. The objective of this study is to test a theoretical model of psychotropic drug use in the elderly. The principal hypothesis is that the quality of relationships the elderly person has with others, particularly with his or her children, has a direct influence on his or her psychological well-being, which, in turn, directly affects the consumption of psychotropic agents. A survey was conducted on a sample of 500 elderly people, aged 65–84 years, living at home. Of the respondents, 31.8% used psychotropic drugs during the 3-month period preceding the interview. Path analysis led to the elaboration of a modified model for the consumption of psychotropic drugs by the elderly which indicates that the best predictors of consumption are both the psychological well-being and the state of health of the individual. The more the psychological well-being is elevated, the lower the consumption of psychotropic drugs is, whereas a poor health condition increases it. The quality of an individualʹs social relationships has a direct influence on his or her psychological well-being, whereas family relationships are of lesser importance. Our model accounts for 13% of the predictors of psychotropic consumption by the elderly. Further studies will consider the personality of the user, the doctor-patient relationship, the prescribing habits of physicians and the influence of advertising by pharmacological industry.