The study on relationship between self-esteem and level of mental health of the elderly in the Elderly School under the Urban Community Health Center, Prae hospital (Rong Sor) - การศึกษาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างการเห็นคุณค่าในตนเองกับระดับสุขภาพจิตของผู้สูงอายุ ในโรงเรียนผู้สูงอายุ เขตรับผิดชอบศูนย์สุขภาพชุมชนเขตเมือง รพ.แพร่ (ร่องซ้อ)

Abstract

Background: Mental health of the elderly is important. It helps the elderly to spend. Their daily life peacefully and to adapt themselves in order to live with others well and acceptedly in the society and also to have balance between self and society.

Objectives:  To study the level of self-esteem, level of mental health and relationship between self-esteem and level of mental health of the elderly in the elderly school.

Study design: Correlational Research 60 elderly people aged above 60 years old in the Elderly School under the Urban Community Health Center, Prae hospital (Rong Sor), Mueng district, Prae province are the samples in this study. The tool used to collect data is questionnaire which consists of 3 sections; 1) Data in relation to population and society, 2) Questionnaire in relation to the elderly’s self-esteem and 3) Short test for Thai people’s mental health index (15 questions) year 2017. Data analysis are conducted by using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The relationship among all data is analyzed by using Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

Result: The result of the study from 60 elderly people found that overall self-esteem of the elderly is high (= 75.53, S.D.= 8.05). The result found that the samples’ level of internal self-esteem is high (= 38.55, S.D.= 4.45). And the external self-esteem is high (= 36.98, S.D.= 5.44). The result of the mental health level found that most samples’ level of mental health is the same as ordinary people (Fair) (= 46.64, S.D.= 1.82). The second group has higher level of mental health than ordinary people (= 56.43, S.D.= 2.93).  And the last group has lower level of mental health than ordinary people (= 41.15, S.D.= 2.19) And the analysis result of the relationship between self-esteem and level of level of mental health of the elderly in the Elderly School) found that all internal, external and overall self-esteem have significant positive relationship with level of mental health (r= .447, r= .257andr= .420 respectively). The statistic is 0.05.

Conclusion: The activity conducting in Elderly school should be continued. To make it sustainable, it requires the help of community participation in order to make the elderly reach higher self-esteem and better mental health.

Keywords: Self-Esteem, Mental Health, Supporting Factors