Psychological well-being Asian style: The perspective of Thai elders

Psychological well-being is animportant aspect of life quality for olderadults. Asian elders may have a distinctlydifferent perspective from Westernersconcerning the meaning of psychologicalwell-being. Using qualitative researchmethods, this study focused on the views of Thai elders. In-depth interviews and focusgroup discussions were conducted with 67 Thaipeople aged 60 and over. Transcripts werecontent analyzed resulting in theidentification of five dimensions ofwell-being: harmony, interdependence,acceptance, respect and enjoyment. Whencompared to research in the United States, someof the dimensions of psychological well-beingwere distinct while others were overlapping. Implications are discussed in relation to thedevelopment of culturally-relevant measures ofwell-being.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42983/1/10823_2004_Article_356817.pd