The Familial Support System of Thai Elderly: An Overview

This study is intended as an overview of the familial system of support for the elderly as it currently exists in Thailand. The focus is on living arrangements and material support of Thai elderly in relation to their children. Data come from a nationally representative survey of elderly in private households conducted in 1986 as part of a project entitled Socioeconomic Consequences of the Aging Population in Thailand (SECAPT). The project was carried out by the Institute of Population Studies, Chulalongkorn University as part of the ASEAN Population Program. Following the usual definition of elderly used in Thailand, the survey focused on respondents aged 60 and over. In total, 3252 elderly respondents were successfully interviewed.

Findings indicate that despite rapid and substantial social and economic change over recent decades, the familial system of support for Thai elderly appears still to be largely in tact. This is evidenced both by the high levels of coresidence of elderly parents with their adult children and the relatively common receipt of material support from children outside the household.

Dataset(s): ASEAN Survey of the Elderly (SECAPT): Thailand, 1986. Comparative Study of Aging in Asia Focus Groups: Thailand, 1990-1991.