Effects of Social Support on Elderly Patients with Depressive Disorders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the social support intervention in patients with late-life depression by comparing before and after program implementation. The samples were elderly patients with mild depressive disorders in Nong Prue district, Kanchanaburi. Fifty patients were equally assigned into an experimental group (n =25) and a comparison group (n=25). The social support program consisting of emotional support, esteem support, network support, tangible support, and informational support was implemented only in the experimental group for four weeks. The comparison group received general care from governmental agencies as usual. Data were collected before and after the experiment and were analyzed using descriptive statistics presented in percentage, mean, and standard deviation (SD). To compare the results between groups, an independent t-test was conducted.

The results showed an increase in social support among the experimental group compared to before the program implementation. This increase was also significantly higher than in the comparison group at a significant level of .05. The experimental group suffered from depression statistically significantly lower than before receiving the intervention (p < .001). Therefore, the implementation of social support programs involved by elderly care volunteers should be encouraged and expanded to other areas.