| Abstract: |
The rapid demographic transition in India has resulted in a significant increase in the elderly population, creating unprecedented challenges for mental health services and social support systems. This cross-sectional comparative study was conducted to examine mental health status, perceived social support, and quality of life among elderly residents of old age homes and community-dwelling elderly in and around Guwahati, Assam. The objectives included assessing depression prevalence, evaluating social support levels, comparing quality of life across settings, and identifying correlating factors between these variables. A total of 200 participants (100 from old age homes and 100 from communities) aged 60 years and above were selected using purposive sampling. Standardized instruments including the Geriatric Depression Scale-15, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and WHOQOL-BREF were administered. It was hypothesized that old age home residents would exhibit higher depression rates, lower social support, and diminished quality of life compared to community-dwelling elderly. Results revealed significantly higher depression prevalence among old age home residents (58%) versus community elderly (31%), with substantially lower perceived social support and quality of life scores in institutional settings. Correlation analysis demonstrated significant negative associations between depression and both social support and quality of life. The study concludes that institutional care settings require comprehensive mental health interventions and enhanced social support mechanisms to improve elderly wellbeing |
