Factors Affecting to the Elderly’s Mental Health Status in Sai Yai Subdistrict, Sai Noi District, Nonthaburi Province.

Abstract

     This research was survey research in nature, with the objectives to 1) To study the level of social support, including emotional support, material and service support, and informational support, as well as the mental health status of the elderly in Sai Yai sub-district, Sai Noi district, Nonthaburi province and 2) To examine the factors affecting the mental health of the elderly in Sai Yai sub-district. The sample used consisted of 160 individuals. The data collection instrument was a questionnaire divided into three sections: 1) personal factors, 2) social support factors, and 3) mental health status of the elderly. The Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) was 1.00 for all 22 items, and the reliability coefficient was 0.94. The reliability of the social support questionnaire was 0.93, with individual reliability coefficients as follows: emotional support at 0.88, material and service support at 0.89, and informational support at 0.86. The questionnaire assessing the mental health status of the elderly had a reliability coefficient of 0.88. The research was conducted from May to September 2024, and the statistical analysis included frequency, percentage, mean (), standard deviation (S.D.), and stepwise multiple regression analysis.
     The research findings indicated that the overall average score for social support factors was high (= 4.33, S.D. = 0.51). When considering individual aspects, emotional support had the highest average score, also in the high range (= 4.48, S.D. = 0.60), followed by material and service support, which also scored high (= 4.33, S.D. = 0.58). The average score for informational support was the lowest among the three, but still high (= 4.18, S.D. = 0.68). The mental health status of the elderly in Sai Yai Subdistrict revealed that 127 individuals (79.40%), had better mental health than the general population, 22 individuals (13.80%) had mental health status equal to the general population, and 11 individuals (6.90%) had lower mental health than the general population. Analysis of factors affecting the mental health of the elderly in Sai Yai Subdistrict showed that emotional support and informational support were significant factors affecting their mental health at the 0.05 level of statistical significance.