An exploratory study on factors affect on Elderly Depression in Sri Lanka
- May 3, 2022
- Posted by: rsispostadmin
- Categories: IJRISS, Psychology, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue IV, April 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186
An exploratory study on factors affect on Elderly Depression in Sri Lanka
L.I. Ekanayake1*, Asanka Bulathwatta2
1Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Peradeniya,
Peradeniya,, Sri Lanka
2Department of Psychology, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Abstract: This exploratory study tries to explore the factors affect on Elderly depression in a qualitative manner. In order to meet the objectives of present study it was carried out with ten elderly females and males of above 65 years who were clinically diagnosed with Depression were selected from the Psychiatric clinic, National Hospital in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Consent was received from the participants prior to the research carried out. This qualitative study was carried out using a semi structured interview and collected data were analyzed using a thematic analysis in which participants responses narrowed down in to particular themes. According to the thematic analysis it was found five main themes as factors that most of these elderly people suffer from depression due to the factors such as Past Failures, Worthlessness, Suicidal Thoughts, and Lack of Hopes about future, Loss of Energy. Results revealed that female people were likely to show depressive symptoms due to the matter of obsessive on their past failures and feel of worthlessness whilst more male people are suffering from suicidal thoughts, lack of hopes about future and loss of energy due to physical disabilities. Especially both male and female people have shown depression mainly focusing on of their life worth due their age.
Key words: qualitative, depression, elderly depression, semi structured, thematic analysis
I. BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
Human life span has remarkable stages in it ranging infant, toddler, adolescents, young people, adults and elderly years at the end. There are different researches carried out upon the all stages except elderly years. However, each of these stages people are subjected to experience different psychological conditions in which demarcate the situations and subject specific matters that they face in their life. Elderly people who are above 65 years also experience many fluctuations in their mind as there are many factors affect on their psychological conditions due to their age. Such as physical disabilities, loneliness, social isolation, retirement from the employment. All these factors may have a tendency to end up with a mental illness or mental disability. Present study was focused on elderly people and their depression in Sri Lanka. The term ‘Elderliness’ there are many definitions at which age people are considered as old. There are differences in the age of becoming old and the experiences they face at their old age according to developed countries and developing countries as well as among different cultures.
World Health Organization determines the elderliness as the reduction in the competency to accommodate the environmental factors and accepts 65 year of age as lower
