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Examination of self-reported vision status as it relates to the self-reporting of mental health status indicators (MHSIs) among adult women participants in the 2010-2013 National Health Interview Surveys. Nursing research has not focused on visual impairment, though recent surveys suggest that there will be a marked increase in low vision and blindness as the Boomer generation ages. The Capability Framework provides a perspective of the well-being of persons with disabilities in terms of their functioning. It considers the freedoms that people have to enjoy the kind of life they value. Two of ten fundamental capabilities that disability can constrain include body integrity and control over one’s environment.
Methods: A descriptive design entailed intra-sample analysis of an existing data base. The sample comprised 74,640 women ages 18 to 85+ in the 2010-2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Adult Samples. Data were collected by US Census workers during home interviews with telephone follow-up, using a complex probabilistic sampling design. All states and the District of Columbia are represented; underserved minority groups were purposively over-sampled. The NHIS is a computer assisted personal interview that takes approximately one hour. Most items are fixed response questions. The interview schedule can be reviewed on the NHIS website. Using SPSS 22.0 chi square analyses were performed to assess the relationship between vision loss affecting Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and selected various MHSIs.
Results: Women reporting no vision comprised 1.6% of the sample, while 16.8% reported low vision even with correction. Among the sample, 4.3% of women reported that vision loss caused difficulty with ADLs. Vision status was not directly associated with the occurrence of MHSIs. However, women for whom vision loss caused difficulty with ADLs were significantly more likely to report that they experience emotional problems that caused difficulty with ADLs; and they were more likely to report having seen a mental health professional within the past year than women not reporting difficulty with ADSs associated with vision loss.
Conclusion: The percentage of women self-reporting no vision or low vision is substantial. Loss of vision that causes difficulty with ADLs is associated with increased reporting of emotional problems that cause difficulty with ADLs. MHSIs are known to be related to numerous health alterations and indicators including life expectancy. Given the anticipated increase in the numbers of people with low vision and blindness as Boomers age, assessment of mental health status among women with vision loss is an area of need, and strategies to improve their mental health status need to be devised and tested.