Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing

Shriti Choudhary ¹, Anjani Jyoti Toppo ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, RLSY College, Ranchi, IN
2 Department of Psychology, Ranchi University, Ranchi, IN

Abstract

The elderly in India accounted for 5.7% in 1990, estimated to reach 12.6% in 2020 with 13% of the total population. India will have the second largest greying population in the world by 2025.(Chadha&Easwasamoorthy, 1993). Majority of them 70% will be fully dependent on productive population with a need of economic support and responsible caregiving. The relationship of elders with their caregivers and the caregiving burden has emerged as a vital field of investigation affecting the psychology of everyday life. In this backdrop, the present study attempts to measure the general wellbeing of the elderly and perceived caregiving burden of their family caregivers. The study aims to assess the wellbeing of male and female elderly and see the impact of place of residence on their wellbeing. As the wellbeing of the elderly is directly related with the caregiving burden, the present study also attempts to measure the caregiving burden of their family caregivers. Data have been collected using PGI General Well Being Measure Verma, and Verma (2009) and Perceived Caregiving Burden Scale by Gupta (2007). Apurposive sample of 120 elderly, stratified randomly on the basis of gender (male/female) and place of residence (rural/urban) was taken for the study. It was found that rural female elderly scored more on Well Being Measure than their male counterpart, urban females also scored higher than the males. On total Wellbeing Measure the female sample had a better wellbeing than the male. As far as the caregiving burden is concerned, it was found negatively correlated with the wellbeing of the elders. Higher the wellbeing lower was the perceived caregiving burden. Urban caregivers perceived fewer burdens than the rural ones. In both settings, feeling of entrapment was highest perceived burden, followed by financial and sense of abandonment. The study recommends improvement in the wellbeing of the elderly for minimising the caregiving burden.

Keywords

Wellbeing, General Wellbeing, Family Caregivers, Perceived Caregiving Burden.

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Shriti Choudhary ¹, Meenakshi Kujur ², Anjani Jyoti Toppo ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, RLSY College, Kokar, Ranchi, IN
2 Department of Psychology, Ranchi College, Ranchi, IN
3 Department of Psychology, Ranchi University, Ranchi, IN

Abstract

The study of elders and their wellbeoing is an important field of investigation for social scientists m the present day situation. In the above backdrop, the present study aims to assess the levels of home adjustment, mental efiiciency and depression among the elderly, with an objective to see the correlation between these three psychological variables. The impact of gender, age and education on home adjustment, mental efiiciency and depression was also explored. Adopting a 2x2x2 factorial design, a purposive sample of 120 elderly, stratified randomly on the basis of age, gender and education was selected from the different areas of Ranchi town. Data was collected using standardised measures of home adjustment, mental efiiciency and depression for elderly, h was found that most of theelders were we U adjusted their families with high level of inental efficiency but a moderate level of depression was found among them. Home adjustment was positively correlated with mental efiiciency (r=. 129) and negatively with depression (r=-393). Mental efficiency and depression were correlated negatively (-.003). The mentally efficient and less depressed elders were found to be more adjusted m their families. The ANOVA analysis revealed that the age was a significant factor, affecting mental efficiency, where as education was responsible for better home adjustment and depression. No significant impact of gender was observed.

Keywords

Home Adjustment, Mental Efficiency, Depression, Elderlyl.

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