Social connectedness significantly mediated mental health outcomes and loneliness had a substantial positive effect on mental health among older Thai adults, while digital competency and traditional social networks showed unexpectedly weak influences on reducing loneliness, suggesting Western social support and digital inclusion frameworks require substantial modification for Thai contexts.
Social connectedness significantly mediated mental health outcomes among older adults in Thailand.
Loneliness had a substantial positive effect on mental health outcomes among older Thai adults.
The study model explained 41.6% of the variance in loneliness and 45.9% of the variance in mental health outcomes.
Digital competency showed unexpectedly weak influence on reducing loneliness among older Thai adults.
Traditional social networks showed unexpectedly weak influences on reducing loneliness in the Thai older adult sample.
The study sample was predominantly female, urban, and relatively well-educated, limiting generalizability.
This research suggests that for older adults in Thailand, feeling socially connected and experiencing loneliness are both strongly linked to mental health, but the factors that drive those connections differ from what Western research typically finds. In a study of 165 older Thai adults using statistical modeling, feeling genuinely connected to others was an important pathway to better mental health, and loneliness was strongly associated with poorer mental health outcomes. However, having access to digital technology or larger social networks did not meaningfully reduce loneliness—a finding that runs counter to many Western studies promoting digital inclusion as a solution for older adult isolation. The researchers suggest this difference may be because older adults in Thailand rely primarily on in-person relationships through family and temple-based communities, and digital tools have not yet become meaningful substitutes for these traditional forms of connection. This implies that simply providing older Thai adults with smartphones or internet access is unlikely to address loneliness on its own. The study also found that the quality of social connections matters more than the quantity, suggesting that meaningful, culturally grounded relationships are more protective for mental health than broad but shallow social networks. This research matters because it cautions against applying Western-designed mental health and social inclusion programs directly to other cultural settings without adaptation. Programs designed for older adults in Thailand—and potentially in other developing nations with strong traditional family and community structures—may need to work with existing cultural practices rather than importing foreign frameworks. The study's authors note important limitations: the sample was mostly female, urban, and well-educated, the design cannot prove cause and effect, and the weak role of digital technology may partly reflect Thailand's current stage of digital development rather than a permanent cultural feature.
Prasertwong W, Nokkaew N, Pitichat T, Phuthong T. (2026). Influence of social networks and digital competency on loneliness and mental health among older adults in Thailand: A structural equation modeling analysis.. Acta psychologica. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2026.106786