Purpose: To investigate the effect of self-efficacy and self-esteem on the mental health of the elderly in a rural area. Method: The subjects were 120 elderly aged 65 years or over. The instruments used in this study were the self-efficacy, self-esteem, and mental health scales. The data were analyzed by SPSS Win version 10.0, including mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The means were 78.95$pm$8.11 for self-efficacy, 25.07$pm$4.79 for self-esteem, and 82.58$pm$9.78 for mental health. Mental health was significantly influenced by age, spouse, family type, general self-efficacy, social self-efficacy, and self-esteem. These variables accounted for 21.5% of the variances of mental health. Conclusion: The important factors that affected the mental health of the elderly were self-efficacy and self-esteem. Therefore, these findings may provide useful data for constructing a geriatric mental health program of the elderly in a rural area.