• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.188-195
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the association between health condition and leaving the labor market among middle-aged and older adults in South Korea. Methods: Data was obtained from individuals aged 45 years and older participating in the 2006 and 2008 Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing. We used various health measures including chronic diseases, comorbidities, traffic accident injuries, disabilit of instrumental activities of daily living, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health. The odds ratios of job loss, and retirement, versus employment were calculated using multinomial logistic regression by each health measure. Results: In our cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis, health problems related to physical disabilities had the greatest effect on leaving the worksite. A shift in health condition from good to poor in a short period was a predictor of increased risk of unemployment but a persistent pattern of health problems was not associated with unemployment. Women with health problems showed a high probability of retirement, whereas among men, health problems instantly the possibility of both job loss and retirement. Conclusions: Health problems of middle aged and older workers were crucial risk factors for retirement and involuntarily job loss. Especially functional defect and recent health problems strongly and instanty affected employment status.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.67 no.2
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• pp.183-202
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• 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 Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.9 no.11
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• pp.218-226
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to analyze the level and influence factors of social safety perception of middle-aged and older adults with disabilities. The subjects of the survey were older than 50 with disabilities who responded to the 2018 Social Survey. The results analyzed by Hierarchical regression analyzes showed that factors such as gender, age, place of residence, education level, subjective health status, risk response level, compliance level of others, and compliance with public order had a significant effect on the social safety perception level. Through this study, we could know the importance of personal requirements and social capital for social safety perception of middle-aged and older people with disabilities. In the future, the differences in safety perception by type of disability should be studied too.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.147-155
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between housing cost burden and the mental health status of middle-aged and older adults with disabilities, and to examine whether this relationship is moderated by social capital. To achieve this goal, a final analysis was conducted on a sample of 938 individuals aged 45 and above with disabilities who participated in the 16th wave of the Korean Welfare Panel Study. Moderated multiple regression analysis was performed using Stata 17.0. The results of the study are as follows. First, an increase in housing cost burden was associated with a decrease in the mental health status of middle-aged and older adults with disabilities. Second, among the multidimensional elements of social capital, social networks were found to be a factor that positively influenced mental health status. The relationship between housing cost burden and mental health status was moderated by social networks, a key element of social capital. Based on these findings, this study confirms the value of social capital as a protective factor for improving the mental health status of middle-aged and older adults with disabilities who experience housing poverty due to housing cost burden, and suggests implications for social welfare strategies targeting the development of social capital.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.519-530
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• 2015

This study examines the effects of coping resources on life satisfaction of middle and older caregivers looking after family members with activities of daily living disabilities. Personal resources and socio-relational resources were included as predictors after controlling for demographic characteristics. We studied 154 middle and 132 older adults drawn from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Ageing (KLoSA). The multiple regression results of this study were as follows. First, subjective health and family satisfaction had significant effects on middle-aged caregivers' life satisfaction. Specifically higher levels of subjective health and better relationships with their family predicted higher levels of life satisfaction. Second, cognitive function, household income, and family satisfaction had significant effects on middle-aged caregivers' life satisfaction. Higher household incomes, higher levels of cognitive function, and better relationships with family predicted higher levels of life satisfaction. For both middle and older adults, the effect size of family satisfaction was the largest out of all coping resources. The results revealed discrepancies regarding the importance of coping resources between middle and older caregivers, implying that developing interventions for middle and older caregivers (in accordance with their need for coping resources) is necessary. The results also indicated that having good relationships with one's family was the most important factor for both middle aged and older caregivers' life satisfaction. The results suggest that policies or services focused on endorsing healthy family relationships should be developed to improve the life satisfaction of caregivers.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.118-125
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• 2024

Background: Numerous studies have consistently demonstrated that depression can be associated with cognitive function decline, primarily focusing on older adults due to the neurodegenerative characteristics of dementia. With persistent depression frequently reported in patients with early-onset or young-onset dementia, this study aimed to assess the impact of depression, specifically the changes in depressive symptoms over time, on the risk of cognitive function decline in middle-aged adults in Korea. Methods: This retrospective study utilized data from the first four waves (2006-2012) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA), focusing on middle-aged adults with normal cognitive function at baseline. Changes in depressive symptoms were categorized into four groups based on the CES-D score, and their association with cognitive function decline was evaluated using a multivariate logistic regression model. Results: Of the initial 10,254 participants, 3,400 were included in the analysis. Depressive status, particularly newly onset (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.96; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.32-2.93) and persistent depression groups (aOR 5.59; 95% CI 2.90-10.78), were significantly associated with cognitive function decline. In contrast, recovery from depressive symptoms was not significantly associated with cognitive function decline (p=0.809). Conclusions: Our study showed a significant association between changes in depressive symptoms and cognitive function decline in middle-aged Korean adults. This suggests that management of depressive symptoms could be crucial for the prevention of cognitive function decline in this population.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.1-12
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• 2021

This study aims to verify the mediating effect of social support in the relationship between online social relations service utilization(PC, mobile) and life satisfaction for middle-aged and Older Adults. For this purpose, the '2017 Digital Devide Survey' data collected by the National Information Society Agency was used, and among 2,300 middle-aged and Older Adults aged 55 or older, 1,488 people using the Internet were selected as the final analysis target. Then, using the structural equation, the mediating effect of social support was verified in the between online social relations service utilization and life satisfaction. As a result, it was verified that higher levels of mobile-based social relations service utilization have a positive effect on social support and life satisfaction. Also, it was confirmed that social support has a mediating effect in the relationship between the utilization of mobile-based social relations service and life satisfaction. However, the utilization of PC-based social relations services did not show to affect social support and life satisfaction. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as basic data for practical measures to increase the connection between mobile-based social relationship service education and social support promotion education for middle-aged and Older Adults. In addition, the study is meaningful in that it overcomes the limitations of measuring the use of online social relations services as one, and selects tools that are practically effective by dividing them into mobile and PC.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.49-57
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to identify and compare the risk factors of depression among middle-class Korean workers. Methods: A cross sectional study was designed for secondary data analysis. From the 8th Korean Medical Panel Survey (2008~2013), a total of 3,056 data was drawn and analyzed. With SPSS version 24, a developmental stage comparison, with the stage being young adults (20~39), middle-aged adults (40~64), and older adults (65+) were conducted. Frequency, percentage, 𝑥² test and logistic regression analysis were statistical tools used to analyze the data. Results: In all developmental groups, experience of frustration was found to be a common risk factor of depression. Stress from excessive task, peer-compared subjective health status, and self-perceived social class were risk factors of depression in the young adults and the middle-aged adults. Anxiety for the future significantly influenced depression in the middle-aged adults and older adults. Conclusion: Experience of frustration was a major risk factor of depression among Korean middle-class workers. Interventions to reduce depression need to be developed focusing on the specific risk factors by developmental stages such as experience of frustration, stress from task burden, poor peer-compared subjective health status and anxiety for the future.

• Korean Journal of Exercise Nutrition
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2021

[Purpose] Aerobic exercise training (AT) reverses aging-induced deterioration of arterial stiffness via increased arterial nitric oxide (NO) production. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthase, was decreased by AT. However, whether AT-induced changes in ADMA levels are related to changes in nitrite/nitrate (NOx) levels remains unclear. Accordingly, we aimed to clarify whether the relationship between plasma ADMA and NOx levels afected the AT-induced reduction of arterial stifness in middle-aged and older adults. [Methods] Thirty-one healthy middle-aged and older male and female subjects (66.4 ± 1.3 years) were randomly divided into two groups: exercise intervention and sedentary controls. Subjects in the training group completed an 8-week AT (60%-70% peak oxygen uptake [${\dot{V}}O_{2peak}$] for 45 min, 3 days/week). [Results] AT signifcantly increased ${\dot{V}}O_{2peak}$ (P < 0.05) and decreased carotid β-stifness (P < 0.01). Moreover, plasma ADMA levels were significantly decreased while plasma NOx levels and NOx/ADMA ratio were significantly increased by AT (P < 0.01). Additionally, no sex diferences in AT-induced changes of circulating ADMA and NOx levels, NOx/ADMA ratio, and carotid β-stifness were observed. Furthermore, the AT-induced increase in circulating ADMA levels was negatively correlated with an increase in circulating NOx levels (r = -0.414, P < 0.05), and the AT-induced increase in NOx/ADMA ratio was negatively correlated with a decrease in carotid β-stifness (r = -0.514, P < 0.01). [Conclusion] These results suggest that the increase in circulating NOx with reduction of ADMA elicited by AT is associated with a decrease in arterial stiffness regardless of sex in middle-aged and older adults.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2004

This study examined attitudes toward older adults among a sample of young (496 Participants), midlife (200 participants), and older adults (115 participants). The results indicate that attitudes of the three generations toward older adults were modest in score, being neither positive nor negative. The older adults' attitudes were the most positive regarding elderly people. In other words, each generation of people showed different attitudes toward older adults. There was also a significant interaction effect between generation and gender. Middle aged women were the most negative toward the elderly, yet older women were the most positive. In addition, there were differences among generations in the variables that are related with the attitudes toward older adults. The attitudes were positively correlated with relationship with their grandparents for young adults, whereas care giving stress was significantly related for midlife adults, and the level of preparedness for old age (physical, emotional and economic) was a strong predictor for older adults.