Abstract:
To study the loneliness of the hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients and the relationships between selected factors, such as sex, age, income, activity of daily living, professional support, length of stay, profile of mood states, self-esteem, and loneliness of the hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients. Subjects consisted of 140 hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients in inpatient departiment in government hospitals, Bangkok Metropolis, and were selected by using simple random sampling technique. Research instruments were demographic questionnaires, Barthel ADL Index, professional support, profile of mood states, self-esteem, and loneliness questionnaires which were tested for content validity and reliability. The reliability were .80, .93, .93, .87 and .88 respectively. Data were analysed by using statistic methods, including frequency, mean, standard deviation, Point Biserial's correlation and Pearson's correlation. Major findings were as follows 1. Loneliness of the hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients was at low level. (Mean = 1.95) 2. Professional support and self-esteem were significantly negative correlated with loneliness of the hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients at level of .05 (r = -.250, -.321 respectively) 3. Profile of mood states was significantly positive correlated with loneliness of the hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients at level of .05 (r = .625): anxiety-depression and anger factors were significantly positive correlated with loneliness of the hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients at level of .05 (r = .682, .680 respectively), vigor factor was significantly negative correlated with loneliness of the hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients at level of .05 (r = -.196) 4. Sex, age, income, activity of daily living, and length of stay were not correlated with loneliness of the hospitalized chronically ill elderly patients at level of .05