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 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.