• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.236-245
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• 2013

This study analyzed the relationship between elderly suicide rates and socio-economic factors from the macroscopic perspectives. As certain theoretical background of elderly suicide, sociological and economic perspectives are applied. The economic factors of elderly suicide rates consisted of economic growth and unemployment rate, economic activity rate of the aged, and relative poverty rate (income inequality rate). The sociological factors included social welfare spending, divorce rate, growth rate of population aging, and elderly dependency ratio. According to research findings, first, the more economic activity of the aged is low, the more elderly suicide rate is high. Second, the more social welfare spending rate goes flat, the more elderly suicide rate is growing. Third, the more relative poverty rate (income inequality), increasing population aging rate, and elderly dependency ratio are high, elderly suicide rate goes high at the same time. Finally, this study proposed several socio-economic policy alternatives for preventing continuous growth of Korean elderly suicide rate.

• 한국노년학
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.1249-1264
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• 2008

Guilt feelings are dysfunctional feelings that the primary caregiver of the frail elder are apt to have and those feelings increase a burden of caring, while there is lack of empirical study on the effect of guilt feelings on caring behaviors. In light of this, this study lays its purpose on examining the effect of the primary caregivers' guilt feelings on their burden of caring and request behaviors for help with caring, paying attention to their guilt feelings in our society where Confucian values toward supporting the elderly have remained. The questionnaire survey was conducted for 220 primary caregivers caring frail elders over 60 years of age by visiting. As a tool for measuring guilt feelings, a self-designed measure for caregivers was used (${\alpha}=.949$), and factors of guilt feelings were classified into four namely, the factors of lack of self-control, lack of resources, burnout, and the normative factor As a result, the following findings were derived. First, it was revealed that the guilt feelings of caregivers as family members have a positive correlation with a feeling of burden of caring and the feeling of burden have even effects on the four factors of guilt feelings. Second, when primary caregivers request help with caring, they feel guilty toward cohabiting family members and neighbors, and also they show no guilt feelings when using day-care services for the elderly. Especially, guilt feeling factors affecting primary caregivers were found to be the normative factor to cohabiting family members, the factor of lack of resources to neighbors, and the factor of burnout to using day-care services for the elderly. This result tells that the dysfunctional feelings of primary caregivers namely guilt feelings arising when asking help with caring not only increase their burden of caring but also can cause difficulties in sharing the role of the caregiver. Accordingly for the mental health of caregivers, we should develop programs with which we could understand and cope with their guilt feelings.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.99-122
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to examine how providing care to grandchildren and the continuity of care affects the grandparents' perception on old-age support. Specifically, in this study, providing care is divided into three continuous types: did not provide care, provided care at one point in time and provided care at two points in time. This is done to investigate how the duration of providing care influences the perception on old-age support. The results show that grandparents providing care to their grandchildren prefer to reside with their own children in the future more often than those who do not provide care to their grandchildren. Furthermore, grandparents providing care to their grandchildren during two-time points and grandparents providing care during one-time point prefer to reside with their adult children in the future more than grandparents providing care not once during two-time points. Interestingly, grandparents who provide care to grandchildren during two-time points prefer to reside with their children in the future more frequently than grandparents providing care during just one-time point. These results suggest it is likely that grandparents recognize providing care to their grandchildren as an insurance in care and support for themselves in the future. Additionally, these results suggest that the family plays an efficient and flexible role to meet needs of family members through a reciprocal relationship in Korean society where the public sector is weak. These findings have suggested theoretical implications.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.97-105
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of family cohesion and burden of support on life satisfaction of disabled families and ultimately support the satisfied life of disabled families. The study investigated the factors that influence the life satisfaction of the disabled family through a questionnaire survey as a disabled family caring for a disabled family. As a result of the study, life satisfaction of families with disabilities was as low as 2.278 on a 5-point scale, and the burden of support was 3.432, indicating that they felt a relatively high burden of support. However, family cohesion was relatively good at 3.664, showing that support to lower the burden of support was needed to increase life satisfaction. Based on these findings, the researcher makes the following suggestions to increase the life satisfaction of disabled families. First, the need for support to alleviate the burden of caregivers for the disabled. Second, expanding support for people with disabilities receiving care. Third, there is a need to strengthen support for families with disabilities. However, as this study was conducted centered on Gyeonggi-do, there is a need for follow-up research as the study has limitations.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.285-310
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• 2004

The major purpose of this study is to examine effectiveness of an intervention program which aims at education/training caregivers of the dementia and/or stroke elderly. This program was conducted at group level. Participants of this program were the primary caregivers who have taken care of the elderly with dementia and/or stroke. To test the effectiveness of the caregiver education/training program, this study employed an quasi-experimental design: to compare pretest score with posttest ones for the same participants. Total forty two primary caregivers have completed the program. Seventeen caregivers were in experimental group, whereas twenty five ones belonged to control group. Our data suggest that, for the primary caregivers, subjective quality of life was more important than cargiving burden. Subjective quality of life among the caregivers significantly improved, after completing the program. This result suggests that a short-term intervention program at group level is not effective to reduce caregiving burden because an infra structure of community resources, to which the caregivers and their family access, did not remain at sufficient level. However, participants have showed improved mutual solidarity, and they have exposed to wider spectrum of a variety of information. As a result, they have perceived that the level of subjective quality of life has positively changed. Additional factors have influenced on determining the quality of life among the caregivers. The caregivers, whose demented elderly showed lower level of ADL and IADL, or who have experienced the short period of caregiving, were more likely to belong to higher level of quality of life. The quality of life among the caregivers were even more improved in the following group: being young, and highly educated, man. One of the contributions from this study is that we have found caregiver's characteristics, which need an intervention most. In addition, our study implies that specific contents of the caregivers' education/training program should be conducted based on each family's unique characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.109-142
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• 2005

This paper examines the changes in family values in Korea by examining values of children, socialization values, and social support of elderly parents with young and olders mothers. A total of 314 mothers of infants (young mothers) and 395 mothers of adolescents (older mothers) completed a questionnaire compiled by Schwarz, Chakkarath, Trommsdorff, Schwenk and Nauck(2001) comprising of values of children, cultural values, socialization values, interpersonal relationship, social support, stress, and life-satisfaction. In terms of values of children, the older mothers are more likely to emphasize social values, such as continuing the family line. Young mothers are more likely to emphasize psychological values, such as the pleasure of seeing a child grow. As for reasons for net wanting to have children, young mothers are more likely to point out personal constraints than older mothers, such as restriction of freedom. Second, older mothers are more likely than young mothers to express willingness to provide support for their children and even when their children become adults. Older mothers had a more lenient expectation of their children in terms developmental timetable and to expect support from their children when compared with young mothers. Young mothers are more likely to socialize their children with greater warmth and at the same time have higher child-rearing stress when compared to older mothers. Third, when compared with older mothers, young mothers are more likely to receive practical and emotional support from their parents. On the other hand, older mothers are more likely to provide greater practical and emotional support to their parents than the young mothers. Overall, compared to young mothers, older mothers are more likely to hold traditional and conservative values of children and socialization values. These contrasting values reflect the changes in family structure and social change that have been progressing rapidly in recent years.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.184-190
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• 2021

Objectives : Dementia is one of the most distressing mental health problems in the older population. Caregivers also experienced physical, psychological, and emotional stress from taking care of dementia patients. So, we developed program for supporting dementia caregiver and evaluated its efficacy on reducing caregiver burden. Methods : We provided 5 sessions of dementia caregiver supporting program to 30 caregivers who were taking care of dementia patient in their home. Program was held in Cheonan Center for Alzheimer's disease and other dementia that was established by Cheonan city government for supporting dementia patients and their caregivers. We evaluated caregiver burden using short Zarit burden inventory consisted of 12 items scoring 0 (no burden) to 4 (everyday burden) before and after program. We evaluated satisfaction of caregiver about program using satisfaction survey consisted of 10 items scoring 0 (very dissatisfy) to 4 (very satisfy) after program. Results : Mean age of caregiver was 61.9. 40.0% (n=12) of caregivers were spouse. 53.3% (n=16) of caregivers were son or daughter. Caregiver burden that was estimated by short Zarit burden inventory were significantly decreased after program (p<0.001). When each item was compared, 4 items (7, 10, 11 and 12) were significantly decreased after program (p=0.036, p=0.018, p=0.01, p=0.024). All mean scores of 10 items about satisfaction were over 3 meaning that participants generally satisfied to program. Conclusions : Our study suggested that dementia caregiver supporting program could reduce caregiver burden and provide satisfaction. Therefore, programs for supporting dementia caregivers might be important as well as treating dementia patients. So, we should be interested in developing and providing efficiently this kind of program to reduce caregiver burden.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.153-192
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• 2018

The main purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of Korean adults' perception of parent-child relation on their self-efficacy, child rearing practices, elderly parent care practices, and happiness. In this study the parent-child relation is a relationship between the adults' parents and the adults. The participants in the study were adults (2,632; male=1,275, female=1,357) with children in primary, secondary, and/or university, with an average age of 45.44-years-old (male=46.96-years-old, female=44.10-years-old). The results showed a direct influence of the adults' perception of parent-child relation on their self-efficacy and their child rearing practices, and an indirect influence on their happiness. This indicates that a more positive adult's perception of parent-child relation leads to higher self-efficacy and greater devotion to their child rearing practices. And furthermore, an elevated self-efficacy enhanced their happiness. Gender differences were found for the influence of adults' perception of parent-child relation on elderly parent care practices. For Korean male adults, a more positive perception of parent-child relation lead to a more active participation in elderly parent care practices. However, for Korean female adults no direct influence was found. Based on these results, a discussion of the influence of adults' perception of parent-child relation on the adults' psychological characteristics and family-members relationships is provided.

• Korean Journal of Family Social Work
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• no.62
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• pp.5-38
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• 2018

This study explores experiences of male siblings without disability who are caring for their adult siblings with intellectual disability. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted based on phenomenological qualitative research methods, and documents such as newspaper articles and broadcasting documentaries covering the care of participants were also used as materials. Data collection took place from August to October, 2017, and four brothers without disability participated in this study. Findings are presented as five themes: a sibling with a disability-centered life, living with complex emotions including emotional ambivalence, cautious life at all times, life to receive consolation, and life trying to achieve balance and harmony. Based on the results, political and practical considerations for brothers without disability and their families who support their adult siblings with intellectual disability are discussed. Implications for social workers are suggested.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.559-567
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate patients with Lou Gehrig's disease, their families, and their actual conditions of the disease, and to find the factors to alleviate caregiving burden and the needs of service. According to the study, the sociodemographic characteristics of the patients with Lou Gehrig's disease and their patients, the disease and caregiving, and activity support service didn't influence alleviation of caregiving burden. When the main caregiver of the patient was not a spouse, or graduated from high school and less, and when the disease was diagnosed initially, there was a difference in caregiving burden. Based on the results, this study suggested that it would be necessary to make medical support suitable to Lou Gehrig's disease and come up with a convergence policy to support personalized and specialized welfare service.