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PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEM: LITHUANIAN SAMPLE OF THREE ADULT GENERATIONS AND TRAUMATIZED GROUPS
Abstract
Health care system is conventionally regarded as an important determinant in promoting the general physical and mental health and contributes to the ultimate goal of societal well-being. Is health care system ready to meet every person's needs considering age and different traumatic experience? Several aspects of psychological well-being, such as level of happiness, hope, good everyday feeling, etc., subjective attitude towards own life and traumatic experiences were assessed in the study. The participants indicated how frequently they turn to mental health professionals for help and take antidepressants or sedatives. Three generations of Lithuanian residence were selected: young adults (average age: 23) representatives of the middle generation (average age: 47) and elderly persons (average age: 67). The data were compared with the experience of persons, who have suffered specific traumas (suicide attempters, injured freedom defenders and Chernobyl clean-up workers). Overall 667 participants filled the questionnaire. The results confirm the phenomenon, that the rates of subjective health are the best in youngest group and worsen with the age. Similarly, the study participants tend to use more antidepressants and sedatives with age. Though, the representatives of all generations equally rarely turn to mental health professionals for help. Particular prospect emerges if different traumatized groups are analyzed. In terms of psychological well-being, the suicide attempters stand out: they are the least happy and have the least hope for the future. Injured freedom defenders and Chernobyl clean-up workers rated their health the worst, but only the injured freedom defenders are the most likely to take antidepressants or sedatives and to turn to mental health professionals for help. Concluding, the state health care system can only provide mental health services to those individuals who seek help themselves, while it is important to offer psychosocial help more actively to those who have experienced major traumas, because psychologically suffering people will not necessarily seek and search for specialized assistance.
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