Relationship between Factors and Chronic Illness Adaptation Among Older Adults in Amnat Charoen Province

Abstract

               The purposes of this descriptive research were to study the adaptation to illness of chronically ill elderly patients in the Sangnokta Health Promoting Hospital. Participants consisted of 140 chronically ill elderly patients who were selected using the multi–stage random sampling technique. Data were analyzed using statistical methods, including mean, percentage, standard deviation, Biserial correlation, Chi – square, and Pearson’s correlation.

The major findings were as follows: education, perception of family reaction to illness, social support, perception of health service, and problem-focused coping were significantly positively correlated with the adjustment to illness of chronically ill elderly patients at the .05 level of significance. The adjustment to illness of chronically ill elderly patients was found to be at a moderate level. Age was significantly negatively correlated with the adjustment to illness of chronically ill elderly patients at the .05 level of significance. Sex, length of illness, perception of illness, and emotionally-focused coping were not correlated with the adjustment to illness of chronically ill elderly patients. The results from this study can be applied in the planning and staging of activities for chronically ill elderly patients to support the patients’ self-adaptation in living happily and longer with chronic illness.