Confirmatory factor analysis of the older adult security questionnaire among older adults in Thailand

Introduction An insecure environment after the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted public health measures in older adults, including the use of services, loss of income, and a reduction to provide security and justice services for survivors. This study examined the applicability of the human security concept to older adults and identified the factors associated with their sense of security.Concept theory This model is grounded theory in seven aspects based on the human security concept of the United Nations Development Program.Methods Data were collected from 483 older adults in Lampang Province, Thailand, using cluster sampling.Results The Older Adult Security Questionnaire (OA-SQ), developed from the UNDP human security framework, included sociodemographic items and 43 security-related questions. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were employed to evaluate the factor structure. The final model yielded a seven-factor structure comprising community, environmental, health, personal, economic, political, and knowledge for living security. Factor correlations indicated limited overlap among dimensions, while composite reliability values exceeded 0.70 for four factors, demonstrating acceptable internal consistency. Convergent validity was supported for three factors, while discriminant validity was largely upheld, with political security showing partial overlap with personal security.Discussion The findings highlight the OA-SQ as a culturally relevant tool to assess older adults’ security from multiple perspectives, reflecting both individual and community contexts. This multidimensional framework underscores the importance of addressing broader determinants of health and well-being among older populations and contributes to advancing the human security discourse in aging research.