Communication and Relationships Within Thai Older Adults’ Families: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Method Study

Abstract

The situation of older Thai family members has changed, resulting in less interaction that could impact family bonds. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design explored communication and relationships within older adults’ families. Using communication patterns and family relationships questionnaires, a survey was administered to 180 older adults in Phetchaburi province. Then, 40 participants were engaged in semi-structured interviews. The quantitative data were analyzed using simple linear regression, and the qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The quantitative results revealed that most family communication patterns with high family relationships were pluralistic. Consensual (B =7.13; SE = 3.26; p