Among 380 older adults surveyed in Lat Yai, 14.21% had at least mild depressive symptoms, and stronger family relationships were negatively correlated with depression scores. The team linked survey findings to village-level service registers to support outreach planning, explicitly not to estimate village depression prevalence or risk.
Key findings
- No depression was identified in 85.79%; mild, moderate and severe levels were 8.16%, 5.26% and 0.79%, respectively. Age, income, marital status, income source and income adequacy were associated with depression, while family-relationship scores were negatively correlated with depression.
Why this matters globally
Separating service-need context from disease-risk mapping offers a transferable model for community health systems and reduces ecological-inference and area-stigmatization risks.
Thai researcher contribution
Researchers from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Sisaket Rajabhat University and Somdet Phra Phutthaloetla Hospital connected mental-health screening evidence with Thai primary-care service data.
Limitations to consider
Depression outcomes were not individually geocoded. The map displays functional-status and homebound/bedridden service records, not village depression prevalence. Cross-sectional associations are non-causal, and one subdistrict cannot represent Thailand.