• The Korean Journal of Community Living Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.71-80
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• 2009

This study aimed to identify and compare variables affecting life satisfaction of older women by focusing on household types and poverty levels. The study used data from the Korea Longitudinal Study of Aging administered by the Korea Labor Institute in 2006. The data for 1,017 older women ages over 65 including 427 single households and 590 couple households was analyzed. First, interaction effects of household types and poverty levels on life satisfaction were statistically significant. For the non-poverty households of older women, there was no explicit difference between single households and couple households in life satisfaction, but for the poverty households, single households were lower in life satisfaction than couple households. Second, as a result of reviewing four groups of older women (poverty-single household, poverty-couple household, non-poverty-single household, and non-poverty-couple household), besides religion, it was found that there were significant differences in age, education level, number of children, health level, residence area, and status of economic activity. Third, when analyzing variables affecting life satisfaction, common predictors for the four groups were health level and ownership of house. Older women who perceived to be healthier and owned their own homes were higher in life satisfaction. For poverty-single households, older women with over middle school graduation were also higher in life satisfaction, but for poverty-couple households, older women with over middle school graduation and more children were higher.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.21-54
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• 2015

This paper analyzes how and why household debt distribution by the householder age has changed over the past decade both in Korea and the US. Data shows that the proportion of household debt held by younger households has decreased, while that held by older households has increased. Empirical analysis shows that a change in the demographic distribution of householders is the main driving force that has shifted the household debt distribution. Given that demographic aging is an inevitable trend, the proportion of household debt held by older households is also expected to increase. Therefore, the Korean government must preemptively prepare for the household debt problem, especially for debt held by older households, by strengthening macro-prudential policies, preventing asset price deflation, restructuring household debt contract structures, and reforming labor market inflexibility.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.23 no.2 s.74
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• pp.137-148
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• 2005

This study compared one-child households' economic structures between those who determined not to have more children and those who have a birth plan. This study examined the demographic characteristics and economic variables such as income, consumption expenditures, assets. debt, and a subjective evaluation of future economic status. Especially, it compared the effects of socioeconomic variables on expenditures on a child between low-fertility and birth-planned households. From a questionnaire completed by a husband or wife of one-child households, 154 low-fertility households and 201 birth-planned households were obtained. A t-test, chi-square test, multiple regression analysis and a dummy variable interaction technique were used. The findings of this study are as follows: First, low-fertility households were older, had higher income, and had more educated, employed wives. Their marital duration was longer, and their child was older than those of birth-planned households. Second, low-fertility households had higher consumption expenditures than did birth-planned households. Especially, expenditures of apparel and shoes, health care, education, and entertainment were significantly higher for low-fertility households. Also, low-fertility households spent more than did birth-planned households on a child. However, low-fertility households had significantly more debt than did their counterparts, and their expectation level of future economic status were lower than that of birth-planned households. Third, the effects of socioeconomic variables on expenditures on a child were different between low-fertility and birth-planned households. Age, education level, husband's occupation, wife's employment status, income, net asset, and subjective evaluation of future economic status showed significant differences. Income elasticity of expenditure on a child was significantly higher for low-fertility households than their counterparts.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.65-72
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• 2007

What is the meaning of home to older people? How much is home significant for older people? How do they express self-identity through decorating their own homes? These are the new subjects that scholars in the West are involved in lately in terms of micro-perspective (George, 1998; Kellett, Gilroy & Jason, 2005; Gilroy & Kellett, 2006). It is evident that home has more significant meaning to older people than other age groups, since the older are more likely to spend greater time within the home through lower income, lessening mobility or loss of companions (Gilroy, 2005). Also the older tend to cling to their homes and attach to possessions than the younger. Older people's possessions are the things that memories of their lives were absorbed. Therefore, possession display can role as a mean of showing their past lives and memories. Gilroy and her colleagues (2005, 2006) found that there was a certain pattern of possession display in English older people's households, and that older people would like to express self-identity through decorating their own homes with their precious possessions. Then, isn't it interesting to find out if there is any pattern of possession display or decoration items in Korean older people's households as well? Thus, the aim of this study is to describe pattern of possession display as a mean of expressing self-identity in Korean older people's households. Interview with older people was used to find out the way and reason of display possessions. Observation method including taking photos and hand-drawings was also added in order to demonstrate detail condition of display items in the house. Possessions display and furniture arrangement in the living room and bedroom were investigated to find out a certain pattern of display and meaning. Research objects were healthy older people aged over 60, who are living independently from their adult children, and who can manage housekeeping by themselves. 32 households were investigated in the area of Seoul, Kyunggi, Chungchungnam, and Kangwon provinces. The findings demonstrate that most precious possession for Korean older people is photo of themselves; especially one taken in their younger age. The reason of it is because the photo reminds them of their heydays when they were vital. Photo of the most beloved one is displayed more frequently in the bedroom than in the living room indicating consistence with English case. As symmetrical display pattern was dominant in case of English older people's households, no dominant display pattern is found in Korean case. Korean older people also cling to their homes and possessions and want to keep their dwelling space as large as what they use now. It is notable that even after they become older and frail, they want sufficient space to display possessions as a mean of self-identity expression. Attachment to possessions and decoration can give older people significant meaning of identity, and it is the reason why architects or interior designers have to meet older people's needs. It needs consideration that residents are allowed to bring their old furniture and precious possessions when they move in elderly housing unit in order to minimize environmental shock, as well as feeling at home. This subject could suggest a clue to designers or architects who have to meet residents' needs in space design of elderly housing or facilities in the future. Psychological well-being of older people can be met by making them feel at home wherever they live. They need space where they can express their own identity and personality even in case when they have to live in a limited small space like elderly housing unit or nursing home.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.272-280
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to analyze characters and determinant factors of the life satisfaction of the older adults with disabilities so as to provide suggestion for improving the quality of life. I used the data on 8th Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled(PSED). The total number of respondents was 452, 126 respondents of one-person households and 326 respondents of multi-person households. The data was analyzed using SPSS Win 24.0 program and utilizing $x^2$test, ANOVA, logistic regression analysis. First, The characteristics of older adults with disabilities was man, married, mild disorder, physical external disorder, non-basis living security recipient, unemployment and the level of life satisfaction was 3.27. Second, The one-person households group showed female, non-married, severe disorder, lower acceptance of disability, lower health status, higher help daily living activity, higher discrimination experience, unemployment, lower income, basis living security recipient, lower position than multi-person group. Third, acceptance of disability, health status, social activity, religion were found to have a significant effect on the life satisfaction of one-person households. And acceptance of disability, health status, position were found to have a significant effect on the life satisfaction of multi-person households. Base on the results of this study, suggested for improving the quality of life of the older adults with disabilities.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Rural Architecture
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2023

This study aims to analyze the trend of changes in the elderly living arrangement over the past 20 years and the reasons why the elderly choose these changes. The subjects of the survey were households aged 65 years or older in Korea. Data from the survey of Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted in 2004, 2014, 2020 were used for the analysis. The result of analysis was as follows; First, since 2000, the number of elderly households living with their children has been rapidly decreasing, while the number of elderly couple households and single elderly households is gradually increasing. Second, elderly living alone appeared more in rural areas, women, older people, and elderly with low education. They are in a vulnerable position that needs help. Therefore, welfare policies for the elderly should be focused on elderly single households. Finally the reason for choosing elderly single household in 2020 was that the voluntary choice by the individual accounted for a much higher rate than the unintentional choice by the children. In addition, the life satisfaction of the elderly who arbitrarily selected the living arrangement was higher than that of the elderly who deliberately chose the living arrangement.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.83-93
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• 2017

This research intends to find out the impact of housing wealth of home-owning pre-retirees and older adults consisting of young-old, middle-old and old-old groups on their household consumption. In doing so, this research analyzes 2,350 home-owning households by utilizing the 17th Korean Labour and Income Panel Study (KLIPS). The results show that housing wealth has a statistically significant effect on non-durable consumption of the pre-retirees, and young-old and middle-old groups of older adults, and housing wealth has a much stronger effect on household expenditure than does financial wealth or real estate. It's found that the consumption elasticity is particularly greater for female-headed households living in SMA, residing in apartments, holding a lower debt-to-asset ratio and being a pensioner. The empirical findings imply that the old-old group of older adults is unlikely to actively tap into their housing windfalls since housing asset becomes the last to dispose in the course of an individual's life. As housing wealth effects are especially strong when liquidity constraints faced by older adults are removed, it's of significance to substantially reduce household debt before retirement in order to constantly maintain an adequate level of household consumption or to promptly prepare for future contingencies.

• Korean Journal of Rural Living Science
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.73-84
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• 1995

The objective of this thesis is to analyse empirically the economic resource problems of the rural poor households. Data from 444 rural sample households in four provinces, divided into two subgroups, the poor and the non-poor households, were analysed and compared. The owned arable land size, level of agricultural and non-agricultural income, assets, debts and the sufficiency of living expenses of the poor households were measured and compared with those of non-poor households respectively. The significant findings and drawn conclusions are as follows : The rural poor households 1. tends to show smaller family size, older age and lower level of education of homemakers than the non-poor households, that might work as constraints to income sources and quality. 2. has not only small arable lands and agricultural income but also even smaller cash income, less than 50% of total income, with 27% of self-product consumption and depends more on non-agricultural income than the non-poor households. Such weakness of income structure might cause and increase the income instability of the rural poor households. 3. reveals significantly different level and components of assets from the non-poor households lower level of assets, less amounts of but more load of debt due to lower solvency that comes from low level of income and assets, higher debts for consumption and lower accessibility to credit. All these socio-demographic and economic characteristics of the rural poor households might have compound effects on the economic problems of the poor households and make vicious circle of poor.

• International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.323-330
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• 2018

The growth of the older population is expected to further increase social problems associated with population aging, such as isolation, poverty, and depression. The emerging issues associated with the older population are also expected to provide further momentum on studies about the dwelling environment as factors that ensure the health of older people as well as improve their quality of life. Therefore, approaches for explaining the issues of the older age group should be diversified using a variety of factors and appropriate analytic tools. Studies on measuring depression have principally focused on assessing an objective self-report questionnaire, usually in a highly structured, textual form which may not reflect the cognitive impairment of older adults. The aim of this study was to define and measure dwelling depression among older adults in Korea. There are two specific hypotheses in this study as follows: (a) there will be statistically significant relationships with dwelling dissatisfaction and depression, and (b) dwelling depression tools containing text and images will be, respectively, assessment tools that have a good construct with content validity and reliability. In the first experiment, to define and measure dwelling depression, 301 people over 65 years old living in single and two-person households were surveyed using a text-based dwelling depression questionnaires from September 1-30, 2017. In the second experiment, to examine whether the projective image questionnaire could serve as a suitable replacement for the text-based questionnaires, the same participants were surveyed from January 22 to February 2, 2018. The results show that depression has a close correlation with dwelling dissatisfaction. In addition, the geriatric dwelling depression index (GDDI) based on the projective image was refined. Additionally, the projective image questionnaire has a close correlation with the text-based questionnaire. Finally, through ROC curve analysis, it was found that the projective image questionnaire can accurately predict a depression group. To this end, this preliminary study examined the validity of the projective image questionnaire in older adults to make this instrument feasible for older populations and to contribute to a profound understanding of geriatric depression due to the living environment. We hope they will provide a basis for further research on psychological diagnoses using projective images.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.13-25
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• 2024

The rate of single-person households has been increasing all over the world, and there has been a particularly rapid increase in them in Korea. Single-person households show unique and various characteristics related to the reasons for becoming a single-person household, gender, life cycle, and so on. Thus, research needs to focus on the specific groups of single-person households in order to provide tailored policies and programs. This study segmented single-person households in three groups based on life cycle: young, middle-aged, and older adults. Differences in the level of healthy lifestyle, as well as factors affecting that, were investigated according to the groups. The data were collected in 2022, with 237 respondents from single-person households in Kimpo. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. The overall level of healthy lifestyle was found to be significantly higher for young adults compared to older adults. Results from multiple regression show that significant factors related to the healthy lifestyle of single-person households were gender, educational attainment, whether becoming a single-person household was voluntary, and whether the respondents had experienced discrimination as a single-person household. Significant factors differed by the sub-categories of the healthy lifestyle scale. This study has implications related to discovering differences in the level of healthy lifestyles of single-person households through examining the factors affecting it according to life cycle.