Living Arrangements and Elderly Depression: Kanchanaburi DSS,Thailand.

Niphon Darawuttimaprakorn, Mahidol University
Sureeporn Punpuing, Mahidol University

This study aims for investigating the prevalence of depression among elderly in the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance system (KDSS), and the factors related to depression. The analysis is based on the secondary data from the project of Health and Social Support among Older Adult in KDSS 2006. The analysis included the total of 898 cases, using descriptive and multiple regression. The findings reveal that as many as 27.5% of the studied elderly were living in depression condition. Considering the pattern of living arrangements, the largest proportion of elderly under depression conditions were those living with their grandchildren only. The multiple regression analysis found that depression conditions among elderly were significantly predicted by sex, age, education, occupation, financial status, chronic sickness, and disabilities of family members. Controlling for demographic, social and health variables, the further analysis found the statistically significant positive relationship of the living arrangements of elderly to their depression conditions.