Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine the mental health of India’s ageing population by correlating national trends from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) with local primary data. Specifically, we aim to assess depression, cognitive impairment, loneliness, and the contextual influence of chronic sickness, gender, and socio-economic variables. Method: A cross-sectional comparative design was employed. Secondary LASI survey data were compared with primary data acquired using a LASI-based survey tool given to older adults living in urban and rural areas. Descriptive comparisons and multivariate regression were conducted to assess how socio-economic and health and service-related variables influenced mental well-being. Analysis: The results indicated that the prevalence of depressive symptoms, insomnia, and emotional disconnect in the primary data was greater than expected based on LASI. Older aged women (particularly widows) and older adults who were suffering from chronic disease or restrictive access to services were at increased vulnerability. MANOVA analysis demonstrated consistent linkages between the mental health outcomes to cognizance to ageing-related resources and accessibility to health services, rather than income or education. Conclusions: The research highlights an underlying gap in mental health care among the elderly in India, and particularly among women and rural individuals. This report recommends gender-sensitive community-based mental health interventions, and that psychological care is better integrated with primary geriatric services.

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