Background: Given the ageing of the population, it is important to examine the perception of dignity and the factors that may influence it among older adults.Aim: To determine how the perception of dignity and the factors that influence it differ in hospitalized older adult men and women.Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was used with a battery of the following questionnaires in their Czech versions: Patient Dignity Questionnaire (PDI-CZ), Geriatric Depression Scale, Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire, Barthel's Index and Mini-Mental State Examination.Results and discussion: 294 hospitalized older adults participated in the study. In the overall assessment of dignity, men and women did not differ. Differences were confirmed in two PDI-CZ items which were more often perceived as a problem by men, namely: Feeling that I do not have control over my life (p = 0.019) and Feeling that I am not being treated with respect and understanding by others (p = 0.048). It was also shown that the men with higher depression (ß = 2.337, p < 0.0001), a more negative attitude to ageing (ß = -0.481, p = 0.002) and those who did not live alone (ß = 8.379, p = 0.008) had a worse perception of dignity. In women, a lower perception of dignity was associated only with higher depression (ß = 1.99, p < 0.0001) and lower age (ß = -0.311, p = 0.012).Conclusion: The results showed that the only common factor influencing the perception of dignity in both men and women was the level of depression.

2nd Department of Internal Medicine Gastroenterologic and Geriatric University Hospital Olomouc

Science and Research Centre Faculty of Health Sciences Palacký University Olomouc

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