THE EFFECTS OF PSYCHO-EDUCATION PROGRAM ON THE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG ELDERLY, BANG PAKONG DISTRICT, CHACHOENGSAO PROVINCE

Abstract

Depression in the elderly is an important problem that effects overall health. This research aimed to determine the factors associated with depression in the elderly and to examine the impact of a psychoeducation program on their depressive symptoms. Thirty-two elderly patients with mild and moderate depression were included in this study. The patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control groups, with 16 patients in each group. The experimental group underwent a six-session psychoeducation program, with sessions scheduled at 1.30 hours per week, while the control group received a standard care. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 9Q questionnaire both before and after the experiment as well as at the 3-month follow -up. Data were analyses using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Chi-square and paired sample t-test were used to statistically determine the differences between groups.

The results showed a higher number of female elderly individuals with depression compared to males. The majority of the participants experienced mild depression. Factors associated with depression include gender, income sufficiency, family relationships, and self-esteem. Elderly patients with depression who received the psychoeducation program demonstrated significantly lower depression scores than those in the control group at post experimental (p-value<0.05), and follow-up periods (p-value < 0.05). The depression scores of the experimental group were not different between the post-experimental and the follow-up periods.

Psychoeducation program are effectively alleviated depressive symptoms, demonstrating its potential to reduce depressive symptoms in elderly patients.