Abstract:
Population aging in Thailand has begun to create imbalances in the population structure that are producing some adverse impacts, such as increasing the burdens on the social support system due to the growing size of the older population at a time when the proportion of the working-age population is decreasing. The way to sustain older peoples efficacy is to continue their social participation, which benefits both themselves and society. Thus, it is important to first understand the factors that determine the social participation behavior of older people. Under the environmental docility hypothesis drawn from the ecological model of aging, it is believed that physical competence and the environment determine behaviors of older people as well as their psychological wellbeing. This research was aimed at studying the status and the relationships between physical competence and the environment in order to determine the social participation of older people, which might affect their mental health. The data were obtained from the National Statistical Office of Thailands project, entitled Survey of older persons in Thailand in 2011. The target population comprised persons aged 60 years or older. The research sample was weighted by the population structure, with 13,331 subjects who answered the research questionnaire by themselves selected for inclusion in the study. Multiple linear regression and mediator variable methods were used to analyze the data. The research found that physical competence and the social environment related to family support and social services/welfare activities produced positive direct effects on the social participation and mental health of older people, and also produced additional positive indirect effects on such participation and mental wellbeing. The physical environment as determined by living arrangements correlated in a negative direction with physical competence: it had a negative effect on social participation but a positive effect on mental health at the 0.05 level of statistical significance. The interaction term of physical competence and social environment from social services/welfare for older people was to maintain their levels of social participation. The interaction term of physical competence and social environment from family support was to maintain the levels of mental health at the 0.05 level of statistical significance. Based on the findings, it may be concluded that the promotion of higher levels of physical competence and social environment from family support and social services/welfare for older people will increase and maintain their levels of social participation and mental health. In addition, the social environment in the form of family support can delay declining levels of mental health when the levels of physical competence is declined by aging and also the social environment in the form of social services/welfare can delay declining levels of social participation when the levels of physical competence is declined by aging. These results can be used to convince public policy authorities and the government to support the provision of resources for fostering social participation for the aging population, which will help sustain the mental health of this growing proportion of the total population of Thailand.