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The life expectancy of both men and women has gradually been increasing
in the past few decades due to improvement in medical facilities and its
availability to larger number of people leading to an increase in the
proportion of elderly people in the population. However, factors like the
fast pace of life, smaller family norm, breaking of joint family system, and
industrialization are leading to conditions where despite lengthening of
survival, maintenance of mental health of elderly people especially that of
women is not receiving as much attention as required. In the literature on
the elderly, women in general and elderly housewives in particular, have so
far been neglected. This present study, hence, aims at assessing the
perception of received social support and mental ill health of elderly
housewives in the age range of fifty years and above. Mental Health
Questionnaire which assesses six aspects of mental ill health, Free floating
anxiety, Obsessive traits and symptoms, Phobic anxiety, Somatic
concomitant anxiety, Neurotic depression and Hysteric traits and symptoms
and Social Support Scale which assesses functional aspects of perceived
social support in four areas viz. emotional, companionship, informational
and tangiblepractical were administered on 35 housewives in the age group
50-60 yrs and 35 housewives aging 60yrs belonging to similar
socioeconomic status. Results indicate that older women 60yrs had
significantly higher levels of Free floating anxiety, Obsessive traits and
symptoms, Phobic anxiety, Somatic concomitant anxiety, & Neurotic
depression as well as total Mental ill health scores as compared to younger women 50-60yrs. No difference existed between older and younger women
on all areas of perceived social support. Correlational analysis revealed
that high levels of companionship as well as emotional support was
associated with lower levels of obsessive traits and symptoms, somatic
concomitant anxiety, neurotic depression and Overall mental ill health only
within older 60 group. However, no significant association between social
support and measures of mental ill health existed within younger 50-60yrs
women. Results seem to suggest the importance of companionship and
emotional support for maintenance of mental health for older housewives.
Results have been discussed in view of the changes in the familial and
social conditions of the housewives as they grow older and suggestions
for improving the quality of their lives have been presented.