THE INFLUENCES OF GENDER, AGE, ABILITY TO PERFORM ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING, LONELINESS, AND RUMINATION ON DEPRESSION OF OLDER PERSONS LIVING IN NURSING HOME

Abstract

               Objective: The aim of this predictive research was to examine the influences of gender, age, ability to perform activities of daily living, loneliness, and rumination on the depression of the older persons living in nursing homes.

               Methods: The participants were 91 older persons living in 2 social welfare development centers for the elderly in the perimeter area of the central region of Thailand. The participants were interviewed using 5 following questionnaires: personal demographic questionnaire, Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index Thai version (BADLs), Loneliness Inventory, Ruminative Response Scale Thai version, and Thai Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (TGDS-15). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical multiple regression.

               Results: The results showed that 27.48 % of the participants had depression. Gender, age, ability to perform activities of daily living, loneliness, and rumination could jointly explained 39.60 % of the variance of the depression in the older persons living in nursing homes (R² = .396, F = 11.154, p < .001). The factor that significantly influenced the depression in the older persons was rumination (β = .494, t = 4.926, p < .001).

               Conclusion: The results of this study could be utilized to develop the program to prevent and reduce the depression in the older persons living in nursing homes.