• Human Ecology Research
• /
• v.60 no.3
• /
• pp.471-481
• /
• 2022

This study aimed at examining the mediation effects of depressive symptoms on the association between social activity participation and marital satisfaction among couples in later life. The study included 1,196 married couples aged 65 or above who participated in the 7th Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging in 2018. The study variables were husbands' and wives' social activity participation, marital satisfaction, and depressive symptoms. Covariates were individual age, education level, subjective health, couples' household income, and number of children. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model (APIMeM) and bootstrapping techniques were used to test the significance of the mediating impacts of depressive symptoms based on the dyadic data structure. The results showed that for both husbands and wives, active participation in social activities had significant effects on increasing marital satisfaction through lowering depressive symptoms. However, only the participation of husbands in social activities was positively associated with their own marital satisfaction by reducing their own and their partner's depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that the active social participation of individuals salient for promoting the quality of marital relationships in later life, particularly for preventing their own and their spouse's depressive symptoms.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.11 no.11
• /
• pp.204-209
• /
• 2021

This study is a data analysis study to identify the factors influencing the prevalence and risk factors for falls of older adults with dementia in Korea. Using the data of the 7th Aging Research Panel in 2018, 119 people were enrolled. We used response data on the dementia-related factors that is the duration of dementia and whether or not activity of daily living was restricted due to dementia. For comorbid diseases, data on hypertension, diabetes, and obesity were used. For statistical analysis of the collected data, logistic regression analysis was performed using SPSS statistics 22.0. Dementia-related factors and comorbidities of the analyzed subjects had a significant effect on the falling index. In particular, it was found that the influence was greatest in the order of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, daily life restrictions due to dementia, and the duration of dementia. This study is meant to identify factors that should be prioritized in the composition of a fall prevention program for the elderly with dementia. Based on the findings of this study, strategies for preventing falls due to the duration of dementia and limiting daily life, intensive management of high-risk groups for falls due to comorbid diseases, and training in the use of safety aids such as walking aids will be required in the care of the elderly with dementia,

• Journal of Family Relations
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.111-131
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study examined the effects of residential proximity to adult children on the mental and physical health of middle-aged and older parents. The study also evaluated whether the parental age and gender of the adult child in closest proximity to the parent might moderate the association. Method: Data were drawn from five waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging(2006-2014). The analytic sample consisted of 7,359 parents aged 45 or older who had at least one non-coresidential adult child aged 19 or older. The analyses were conducted by estimating a series of fixed effects models while adjusting for the nested structure of the data. Results: The results showed that first, a closer distance between an adult child and the parent was generally associated with the parent experiencing a decrease in depressive symptoms. Yet, the mental health benefit was smaller for parents aged 65 years or older whose closest living adult child was a son. Second, a closer distance was observed to affect chronic illness only among middle-aged parents (aged 45 to 64). When the closest living adult child was a daughter, the middle-aged parent experienced deterioration in their chronic illness. On the other hand, the opposite pattern was observed when the closest living adult child was a son. Conclusions: The parental age and gender of the adult child in closest proximity to the parent might have varying effects on parents' health. A closer distance between an adult child and their parent has a positive impact on the mental health of the parent as a whole, whereas the effect of living closer was mixed in relation to the parental physical health.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.18 no.9
• /
• pp.249-256
• /
• 2020

This study was to identify differences in mortality risk by living arrangements among older adults. We analyzed data from 3,827 older adults who took part in the 2014 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. Cox proportional hazards regression was used for data analysis. The significant factors associated with mortality risk in living with others were male, education level, self-rated health, limitation of instrumental activities of daily living, cognitive dysfunction, and depression. The significant factors associated with mortality risk in living alone were regular exercise, limitation of instrumental activities of daily living, and cognitive dysfunction. This study is significant in that it examined whether there are differences between mortality risk by living arrangements. According to the results of this study, nursing intervention should be developed to decrease mortality by living arrangements.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
• /
• v.67 no.2
• /
• pp.183-202
• /
• 2015

This study examined the relationships among fear of falling, ADL/IADL disability, and depressive symptoms among Korean community-dwelling middleaged and older adults based on the disablement process model. The panel data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging(KLoSa) were used to test whether fear of falling affects disablement process as a risk factor and an exacerbator. The results of path analysis showed that middle-aged and older adults who reported fear of falling were more likely to experience ADL/IADL disability and depressive symptoms, and fear of falling influenced depressive symptoms through increasing the risk of ADL/IADL disability. In addition, fear of falling exacerbate the risk of ADL/IADL disability among middle-aged and older adults who had chronic illnesses. The results indicated that fear of falling is not only risk factor but also excerbator in predicting ADL/IADL disability and depressive symptoms prospectively.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.1-23
• /
• 2016

This study analyzes the effects of caring for grandchildren on Korean grandparents' health, using the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging from 2006 to 2012. We investigate how caregiving is provided and analyze the effects of caregiving on grandparents' physical health, mental health, and health-related behaviors. As elderly people's health is generally frail, it is unclear whether the provision of childcare affects their health negatively. We control for the endogeneity of caregiving by an individual fixed effect (FE) model and instrumental variable-fixed effect (FE-IV) models. Using these models, we determine the endogeneity of caregiving and show that the significant effects of caregiving on health disappear as we control for endogeneity in the FE and FE-IV models. Even after controlling for endogeneity, we find that caregiving increases the probability of feeling pain as well as the number of different types of pain. Furthermore, caregiving increases the probability of restrictions on daily activities because of pain. On the other hand, caregiving reduces the symptoms of depression. In relation to health-related behaviors, caregiving reduces the probability of physical exercise and regular meals. Our results imply that although caregiving has a positive effect on mental health, the increase in physical pain and in non-healthy behaviors may lead to a deterioration of the caregiver's long-term health, which in turn may increase the medical costs of the elderly. Potential policy alternatives are discussed in the paper.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.54 no.6
• /
• pp.441-450
• /
• 2021

Objectives: Socioeconomic disadvantages interact with numerous factors which affect geriatric mental health. One of the main factors is the social relations of the elderly. The elderly have different experiences and meanings in their social lives depending on their socio-cultural environment. In this study, we compared the effects of social relations on depression among the elderly according to their living arrangement (living alone or living with others) and residential area. Methods: We defined social relations as "meetings with neighbors" (MN). We then analyzed the impact of MN on depression using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging Panel with the generalized estimating equation model. We also examined the moderating effect of living alone and performed subgroup analysis by dividing the sample according to which area they lived in. Results: MN was associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms among elderlies. The size of the effect was larger in rural areas than in large cities. However, elderly those who lived alone in rural areas had a smaller protective impact of MN on depression, comparing to those who lived with others. The moderating effect of living alone was significant only in rural areas. Conclusions: The social relations among elderlies had a positive effect on their mental health: The more frequent MN were held, the less risk of depressive symptoms occurred. However, the effect may vary depending on their living arrangement and environment. Thus, policies or programs targeting to enhance geriatric mental health should consider different socio-cultural backgrounds among elderlies.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.218-229
• /
• 2013

With the increase of the aging population in Korea, the welfare of Korean elderly has become one of main concerns of the society. One essential factor that may enhance the quality of life of the elderly is the active social participation. Involvement in the volunteer activity is one form of social participation that benefits both society and individual. The purpose of this study is to examine the level of Korean elderly's participation in volunteer activities and factors related to their participation in the context of different age group. People aged 55 and over from wave 2 data of Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing are grouped into pre-old(55-64), young old(65-75), and old old (75 and older). Main analytic tools include descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis. Results indicated that social relationships of the elderly were the most important factors related with their participation with voluntary activities. Also highlighted is the importance of considering the diversity among the older population.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.19 no.11
• /
• pp.22-32
• /
• 2019

The purpose of this study was to derive association between company's fringe benefits and retirement planning. The study analyzed the 2016 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing(KLoSA) and a total of 1,740 participants was included. To analyze the relationship between the number of the company's employee fringe benefit and the retirement planning, multiple logistic regression was conducted. As a result, we found multiple variables affecting the retirement planning including not only the number of the fringe benefits, but also the age, marital status, residence, private health insurance status, and subjective health status. Successful retirement planning for wage workers benefits not only the individuals or government, but companies also gain benefits such as improved productivity of workers and a better corporate image, so further research is needed on the effective implementation of the system, and the role of government to support this.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.77-89
• /
• 2021

This study uses the life course perspective to analyze the health effects of care transition types on elderly persons who care for their spouses. To this end, the care transition types were divided into ① non-care→non-care, ② non-care→care, ③ care→care, and ④ care→non-care, and health was defined as physical health and the absence of depression. The study used the second through sixth datasets(2008-2016) from the Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging. This resulted in 10,199 observations from 3,987 persons, which were analyzed as a panel analysis model using the STATA16.0 program. The analysis found that physical health was lower in the non-care→care and care→non-care transition types than in the non-care→non-care type. Depression increased in the non-care→care and care→care types. These results suggest that practical and social measures are needed to improve physical health and depression in the elderly who are providing care for their spouses.