Mental health status of rural and urban elderly in Dharwad, Karnataka

India is an ageing society with the rate of growth of ageing population exceeding the growth of the general population. Family friends and relatives are the important source of support for aged people. Mental health problems are more in old age period which are characterized by depression, loneliness, anxiety and psychological distress. Thus mental health refers to emotional and psychological well-being along with other aspects of health that enable a person to lead a productive and fulfilling life. In the context of the importance of the subject the present study has been undertaken to explore the comparison of mental health between rural and urban elderly and to know the relationship between demographic variables and mental health. The random sample consisted of 80 male and 80 female elderly randomly selected from Dharwad city of different areas and two villages of Dharwad district of Karnataka state. Results revealed that most of the elderly had very poor mental health status in both rural and urban areas. Urban female elderly were better in mental health compared to male elderly. There was a significant relationship between demographic variables and mental health. As age and education increased, the mental health status of an elderly decreased. However mental health status increased with the increase in income and size of family among both rural and urban elderly.