Factors Related to Depression among Older People Living in Homes for the Aged of the Western Part of Thailand

Abstract

Introduction:Geriatric depression is one of the significant mental health issues for older people. This descriptive study aimed to investigate the correlation between selected factors and depression among older people, living in homes for the aged in the western part of Thailand.Methods:107 older people, living in two homes for the aged of the western part of Thailand were recruited to the study, using cluster sampling. Three questionnaires, including the Barthel Index Activity of Daily living (BADL), the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale (TGDS), and personal characteristics, perceived health status, chronic diseases, family relationship, and recent grief and loss experience were used. The quality of all questionnaires, especially the reliability of BADL, TGDS, and selected factors (e.g., health factors) were 0.95, 0.93, and 0.72 respectively. After finishing data collection, percentages, medians, and Spearman’s rank correlation and Mann-Whitney U were used to analyze the data.Results and discussion:The results revealed that nearly half (41.1%) of older people suffered from depression. Furthermore, income, perceived health status, and Barthel ADL index were significantly negatively associated with depression at p<0.01; whereas, the number of chronic diseases was significantly positively associated with depression at p<0.05.Conclusion:results on the correlation may guide the practice in the future. For example, the officers or health care providers in homes for the aged should encourage older people to be independent, improve their perceived health status, increase health promoting behaviors to prevent or delay chronic illnesses, or increase older people incomes by promoting the appropriate occupation.

Keywords

• depression
• ADL
• perceived health status
• homes for the aged