Effects of a Social Support Program on Depression in Older Adults
Keywords:
social support program, depression, older adultsAbstract
This quasi-experimental study aimed to study the effectiveness of a social support program in reducing depression among older adults. The study was conducted with 40 older adults from a district in Ubon Ratchathani Province, all of whom had depression scores between 5 and 10 on the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale-15. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 20), which received a two-week social support program alongside usual care, or a control group (n = 20), which received usual care only. Research instruments included the social support program, the Thai Geriatric Depression Scale-15, and a social support measurement scale. The reliability coefficients of the instruments were .76 and .86, respectively. Data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests.
The findings revealed that the experimental group showed a significant reduction in mean depression scores after the intervention compared to before the intervention (t = 13.39, p < .05), and their post-intervention depression scores were also significantly lower than those of the control group (t = 8.79, p < .05). These results suggest that the social support program is effective in reducing depression and increasing perceived social support among older adults. The program can be incorporated into community mental health promotion efforts through group activities tailored to the needs of older adults.
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