Family Functioning and Strength of Family with Elderly in Phrae Province

Abstract

This cross-sectional survey research has the objective to study family functioning and the factors influencing the strength of family with elderly in Phrae province. Study samples were 310 heads of family with an elderly aged 60 years and over, recruited through a multi-stage sampling. Data were collected through a questionnaire from 23 January to 21 February 2019, and analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis. The results showed that most of the families (60.3%) had the strength that passed the criteria and 39.7% failed the criteria. The factors significantly influencing the strength of family with elderly (p<0.05) included family stress, the number of dependent elderly, family functioning in the dimension of effective involvement, and the number of family members with employment. The families with no presence of stress had a 4.7 times greater chance to have adequate family strength to pass the criteria compared to families with a presence of stress. The families without dependent elderly had a 3.8 times greater chance to have adequate family strength to pass the criteria compared to families with dependent elderly. Families with good family functioning in the dimension of effective involvement had a 2.4 times greater chance to have adequate family strength to pass the criteria compared to families with poor family functioning in the same dimension. Families with 3-4 employed family members had a 2 times greater chance to have adequate family strength to pass the criteria compared to families with 1-2 employed family members. The study suggests that the agencies concerned promote family strength by promoting good role functioning toward each other among family members, stress management techniques for family members, and the enhancement of knowledge and understanding about the care of dependent elderly, which would foster the strength of the family with elderly further.