• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.87-99
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• 2021

The life of middle-aged one-person households is rising as one of the most important family policy issues in Korean society. In Japan, even in multi-person households, the issues of middle-aged sons and daughters living with their old parents have been a concern. Data are from the 13^th wave of the Korea Welfare Panel Study analyzing 482 middle-aged singe males regardless of their past marital status. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of human capital and social capital on the life satisfaction of middle-aged single persons by comparing one-person and multi-person households, respectively. Major results were as follows: First, the level of human capital of one-person households of middle aged males was lower than their counterparts in multi-person households. Second, the level of social capital in the group of divorced or widowed, nonhouseholder middle-aged males in multi-person households was lower than their counterparts in one-person households. Third, the effects of human capital and social capital on life satisfaction was significantly different by their marital status and household types in the group of middle-aged single males. Based on the results, policy implications on the community programs for middle-aged males including not only one-person households but also multi-person households were discussed.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.77-95
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors related to leisure time to understand middle-aged one-person households. Data are from the recent survey of lifetime use in 2014 by Statistics Korea(N=1,138). Middle-aged one-person households aged 40-59 years were categorized into four groups by marital status (unmarried/married/widowed/divorced). Major results were found as follows: First, the total leisure time per day was 238 min in the middle-aged one-person households. The majority of the total leisure time was spent on 'fellowship & leisure activities'(204 min on weekdays, 283 min on weekends). Especially, time spent on real-time TV watching hours was the longest, as long as 89 min on weekday and 150 min on weekends. Second, gender differences were significant in terms of leisure time use in the middle-aged one-person households. Females spent less time on leisure than their male counterparts on both weekdays and weekends. In addition, gender differences related to marital status were significant. Third, on weekdays, the determinants of leisure time use among the middle-aged one-person households were health and type of employment for 'participation & volunteer activities', and gender, age, marital status, and type of employment variables for 'fellowship & leisure activities.' On weekends, time spent on 'participation & volunteer activities' were influenced by marital status, residential area, and type of employment, while time spent on 'fellowship & leisure activities' were significantly related to gender, type of employment, type of job, holiday system, and income.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.283-292
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• 2023

Considering that the number of middle-aged single-person households is increasing, this study investigates dietary behaviors, nutrient intake, and mental health according to household type. Data were procured from the 2015-2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Totally, 5,466 participants aged 50-64 years were classified into 2 groups: a household with one member was defined as a single-person household, and households with two or more members were described as multi-person households. Single-person households comprised 10.63% of the total, with a higher average age, and lower income and economic levels than multi-person households. Compared to multi-person households, single-person households had a higher frequency of skipping breakfast, eating alone, and dining out, the moderately and severely food insecure group was more than 5 times, and nutrient intake and dietary quality were poorer. In the fully adjusted model, the odds ratios (ORs) of depressive symptoms were 2.35 times (95% CI: 1.39-3.96), and suicide ideation was 1.95 times (95% CI: 1.35-2.82) in single-person compared to multi-person households. Our results lead us to conclude that poor dietary intake in middle-aged single-person households affects the mental health, and the above factors should be considered when framing the dietary policy.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.25-50
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• 2017

Recently, concern about family safety is rising again as an important issue with the context of family healthiness and well-being in Korean society despite of the dramatic economic growth. The purpose of this study is to examine the status of family safety of singles and single-parent households and to investigate the effect of social capital on the level of their family safety. Data are from the 10th wave of Korea Welfare Panel Study analysing one-person households(N=2,017) and single-parent households(N=172). One-person households were categorized as three groups by age(the youths/middle-aged/the elderly) and single-parent households were also three by family types(mother-child/fahter-child/grandparent-child). The major results were as follows: First, the mean of family safety index was highest among middle-aged, while single youths had the fewest problems in terms of family safety. Second, social capital was found to vary by family structure. In the one-person households, all the levels of the social capital variables, including trust, bond, acceptance, and participation, differed significantly; only two variables, bond and embracement, differed in the single-parent households. Third, social capital differed between the low-income households and others significantly. Forth, the positive effects of social capital on overcoming family safety problems were investigated. In conclusion, social capital represents an alternative resource for overcoming economic hardship for low-income one-person/single-parent households, especially for middle-aged singles and father-child single-parent households. Based on these empirical results, theoretical implications were discussed with regard to family policy and programs.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.15-31
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• 2020

Background and objectives: One-person households are the fastest growing family type in Korea. They bring social concerns such as weakened social integration, increasing poverty and social isolation. They are not homogeneous but heterogeneous groups depending on their socio-demographic characteristics including generation. This study compared the life satisfaction level as well as factors affecting it among the three one-person household generations Methods: The 13th wave of the Korea Welfare Panel dataset with 1,187 respondents was utilized. For data analysis Chi-square test, analysis of variance and hierarchical regression analysis were employed. Generations are divided into three, namely young adult (20-39), the middle-aged (40-64) and the elderly (65 and over). Result: The life satisfaction level was highest among the young adult one-person household generation, followed by the middle-aged and the elderly generation. The common factors affecting life satisfaction of the three generations were physical as well as mental health, including self-esteem and depression. However, there were more factors different from generation to generation. As for the young adult, age, religion, and smoking were significant. As for the middle aged and the elderly, gender (male) and income were significant. Additionally, age, home-ownership and drinking were significant to the elderly generation. Conclusions: As there are differences as well as similarities among the three generations, policies for one-person households need to be devised considering these findings. For all generations, both physical and mental health policies are needed. For young adult strengthening social relations, providing decent jobs, and promoting anti-smoking policy are major agenda, and for the middle-aged and the elderly, assisting in social capital accumulation (for male), providing stable jobs and diverse leisure activities, and securing income. Additionally, for the elderly, expanding the social security system and housing support are needed.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.273-305
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to understand and explore the essence of the self-care experiences of middle-aged one-person households considering their individual circumstances and situational context. In this study, 10 middle-aged people in one-person households were interviewed. The interview data were analyzed using the phenomenological analysis. In result, middle-aged one-person households considered self-care as 'means to protect themselves', 'preparation for their single life in late adulthood', and 'behavior to feel gratitude and happiness in the present.' Their motives for self-care were 'being aware of their physical aging and possibility of illnesse', 'feeling threatened about their safety', 'sensing that their daily livings may be at a risk', 'absence of a caregiven person who can take care of them', 'maintaining of their psychological health', 'being burned out from busy working schedules', and 'to lessen their own and their family's worries and anxiety.' Their specific ways of self-care were 'physical health care', 'private activities for emotional care', and 'meeting people.' Consequently, the self-care of middle-aged people had a positive impact on their work and relationships, lessened their sense of isolation, and brought comfort to their lives. Based on the results of the study, this study proposed the implications, limitations, and suggestions for further research.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.73-89
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• 2019

This study explores the social phenomenon of the universalization of one-person households through a literature analysis and text mining in order to explore a future direction for Home Economics Education(HEE) development in the one-person household era. From 2010 to 2018, texts from newspaper articles and book content of one-person households were analyzed through R program. The results of the study are as follows. In order to develop students' competency to live a happy life in the one-person household era, it is necessary to: (1) expand the preemptive and collaborative research of HEE, (2) develop and operate a curriculum to raise the living competency to live alone, (3) expand opportunities for secondary school students as well as off-campus youth, middle-aged, and elderly students, and (4) develop various HEE's elective curriculum focusing on the ability to live as one-person household. Also, (5) in order to overcome the psychological and social poverty and isolation of one-person households, HEE should strengthen the learner's ability to form relationships through self-esteem, care of others, community life, communication and conflict resolution education. In conclusion, HEE's independent living competency, relationship formation competency, and practical problem solving competency are all necessary competencies to live in one-person households. In this study, it is meaningful to suggest a future direction for HEE and to use new research methods such as word cloud techniques in the absence of HEE's previous research in relation to the increase of one-person households.

• Journal of the Korean Geographical Society
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.480-500
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• 2011

This paper aims to describe the rapid growth of the one-person households in terms of the socio-economic demographic perspectives during the period of 1995-2005 and to analyze the spatial distribution patterns based on different characteristics of one-person households. The increase in the divorce ratio in the middle-aged, the growth of unmarried people the young generation, and the increase of life expectancy in the old generation are explanatory factors for the rise and diversification of one-person households in Korea. The rapid increase of one-person households is accompanied by a diversification in their age, gender, marital status, education level. Uneven distribution of one-person households depends on their age, level of education and dwelling type. Highly educated young adults residing in their own apartment are generally concentrated in major cities, whereas senior citizen with their own single house who lives alone are mostly in rural area. One-person households of the highly educated young adults are significantly polarized in the light of their the living standards. In particular, metropolitan area or big cities are mixed with those who have their own apartment and are financially capacity and with those who rent in a detached single house. As such, one-person households have considerably heterogeneous characteristics. Therefore, each local government will face different economic and social problems based on which group of one-person households are increasing and where they are concentrated in. To this extent, the local government should have differentiated welfare policy according to its own respect.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.696-703
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to analyze determinant factors of the life satisfaction of adults with brain lesions disabilities so as to provide suggestion for improving the quality of life. I used the data on second wave 4th Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled. The total number of respondents was 281, 54 respondents of one-person households and 227 respondents of multi-person households. The data was analyzed using SPSS Win 25.0 program and utilizing χ² test, ANOVA, logistic regression analysis. Results of study were : First, The one-person households group showed middle aged and the elderly, lower income, basis living security recipient, lower help for daily life, lower participation in social activities than multi-person group. Second, level of disability, health status, participation in social activities, experience of discrimination were found to have a significant effect on the life satisfaction of multi-person households. And gender, age, health status, employment, experience of discrimination were found to have a significant effect on the life satisfaction of one-person households. Base on the results of this study, suggested for improving the quality of life in adults with brain lesions disabilities by households type.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.601-608
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• 2021

This study was conducted using data from the 2019 National Statistical Office's Life Time Survey, It was to investigate the effect of time-perception on the time-use pattern of 594 single middle-aged women in the city. This study found that there were differences of time management for daily behaviors between the insufficiently-percieved group and the sufficiently-percieved group. The both spent the most time with personal management. Secondly, the sufficiently-perceived group spent the more time with leisure activities than the insufficiently one did; the insufficiently-perceived one did the more work than the sufficiently-perceived one. The founding suggested the difference of time-use pattern by time-perception of the middle-aged women in the city. Also, the leisure activities and work were key factors to understand the daily life of the city-living middle-aged women.