1 Introduction
2 Methods
2.1 Data
2.2 Measures and Definitions
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Domain 1 Mental state: positive effect “I am contented with life”; “I feel relaxed”; “I have self esteem”; negative effect “I feel bored and discouraged with my daily life”; “I feel disappointed in myself”; “I feel life is full of miseries”.
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Domain 2 Mental capacity: “I can face and accept problems which are difficult to solve”; “I am confident I can control my emotions in case of crisis; “I feel confident in facing life’s crises”.
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Domain 3 Mental quality: “I feel sympathetic towards others’ suffering”; “I feel happy in helping out others when they have problems”; “I help others when I have the chance”.
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Domain 4 Social support: “I feel secure when I stay with my family”; “If I become seriously ill I trust my family will take good care of me”; “My family members love and care for each other”.
2.3 Data Processing and Statistical Analysis
2.4 Ethical Issues
3 Results
3.1 Characteristics of Cohort Members
Cohort characteristics (N = 60,569) | Proportion (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Overall | Males | Females | |
Demographic attributes | 45.3 | 54.8 | |
20–29 years | 27.4 | 20.0 | 33.5 |
30–44 years | 56.8 | 58.7 | 55.4 |
45+ years | 15.7 | 21.4 | 11.1 |
Marital status | |||
Married | 55.3 | 62.3 | 49.4 |
Never married | 37.9 | 32.4 | 42.5 |
Separated, divorced, widowed | 6.8 | 5.3 | 8.1 |
Socioeconomic status | |||
Household monthly income (Baht)a
| |||
<10,000 | 21.2 | 20.6 | 21.7 |
10,000–19,999 | 23.6 | 23.2 | 24.0 |
20,000–30,000 | 21.3 | 22.4 | 20.4 |
>30,000 | 33.9 | 33.9 | 33.9 |
Work status
| |||
Doing paid work | 81.9 | 81.1 | 82.5 |
Unpaid family workers | 14.6 | 11.9 | 16.8 |
Seeking work | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
Unable to work due to illness or disability | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
Geographical residence | |||
Rural | 43.0 | 46.1 | 42.3 |
Urban | 54.7 | 53.9 | 57.7 |
3.2 Thai Mental Health Indicator Scores by Cohort Attributes
Cohort characteristics (N = 60,569) | Thai mental health indicators Meana (±SD) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | 20–29 years | 30–44 years | 45+ years | |
Overall | 32.3 (±5.0) | 32.1 (± 5.0) | 32.3 (±4.9) | 33.0 (±4.8) |
Demographic attributes | ||||
Males | 32.5 (±5.1) | 32.3 (±4.9) | 32.3 (±4.9) | 33.0 (±4.8) |
Females | 32.2 (±5.1) | 31.9 (±5.0) | 32.2 (±5.0) | 32.8 (±4.9) |
Marital status | ||||
Married | 32.6 (±4.8) | 32.1 (±5.0) | 32.6 (±4.8) | 33.3 (±4.7) |
Never married | 32.1 (±5.2) | 32.2 (±5.0) | 32.0 (±5.1) | 32.3 (±5.1) |
Separated, divorced, widowed | 31.5 (±5.4) | 30.9 (±5.5) | 31.2 (±5.3) | 32.0 (±5.4) |
Socioeconomic status | ||||
Household monthly income (Baht)
b
| ||||
<10,000 | 31.5 (±5.3) | 31.5 (±5.3) | 31.4 (±5.3) | 31.8 (±5.1) |
10,000–19,999 | 32.0 (±5.0) | 32.0 (±5.0) | 32.0 (±5.0) | 32.3 (±4.9) |
20,000–30,000 | 32.4 (±4.8) | 32.3 (±4.8) | 32.4 (±4.7) | 32.8 (±4.8) |
>30,000 | 33.0 (±4.8) | 32.7 (±4.9) | 32.9 (±4.8) | 33.4 (±4.7) |
Work status
| ||||
Doing paid work | 32.5 (±4.9) | 32.2 (±4.9) | 32.4 (±4.9) | 33.1 (±4.7) |
Unpaid family workers | 32.1 (±5.3) | 32.1 (±5.3) | 31.9 (±5.3) | 32.9 (±5.1) |
Seeking work | 30.0 (±6.0) | 30.3 (±5.9) | 29.6 (±6.1) | 30.0 (±6.2) |
Can’t work due to illness/disabled | 29.7 (±6.1) | 30.0 (±6.0) | 29.8 (±6.4) | 29.1 (±5.6) |
Geographical residence | ||||
Rural | 32.5 (±4.9) | 32.2 (±5.0) | 32.5 (±4.9) | 33.2 (±4.8) |
Urban | 32.2 (±5.0) | 31.9 (±5.1) | 32.0 (±5.0) | 32.8 (±4.8) |
3.3 Correlations Between TMHI and Two Direct Measures of Happiness
Thai mental health indicators | Correlation coefficient | |
---|---|---|
Happiness | Life satisfaction | |
Mental state domain | ||
Positive effect
| ||
I am contented with life | 0.42 | 0.56 |
I feel relaxed | 0.49 | 0.53 |
I have self-esteem | 0.34 | 0.42 |
Negative effect (results inverted
a) | ||
I feel bored and discouraged with my daily life | 0.38 | 0.42 |
I feel disappointed in myself | 0.36 | 0.41 |
I feel life is full of miseries | 0.38 | 0.39 |
Mental capacity domain | ||
I can face and accept problems | 0.15 | 0.14 |
I can control my emotions in crisis | 0.18 | 0.20 |
I feel confident in facing crises | 0.18 | 0.19 |
Mental quality domain | ||
I feel sympathetic towards others | 0.04 | 0.08 |
I feel happy in helping out others | 0.08 | 0.12 |
I help others when I have the chance | 0.09 | 0.12 |
Social support domain | ||
I feel secure when I stay with my family | 0.28 | 0.37 |
I trust my family will take good care of me when ill | 0.24 | 0.30 |
My family members love and care for each other | 0.28 | 0.34 |