• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.129-142
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• 2008

This study examines how economic and psychological characteristics affect the quality of life (QoL) of elderly individuals age 60 and older, who live in the Seoul-metropolitan area. Relationships among socio-demographic status, economic conditions, psychological characteristics, family life, health status, and QoL are examined by t-test and ANOVA(Duncan's test as post hoc multiple comparisons), and the multiple regression analysis is used to estimate QoL determinants in the elderly. The major findings of the study are as follows. First, younger age, higher education levels, better health status, harmonious family relations, higher levels of household income, lower levels of loneliness, and higher self-esteems are related to higher QoL levels. Second, the impacts of factors on QoL are differentiated according to tercile groups that divide monthly allowance of respondents into three categories: below normal (threshold amount below 21MW), near normal (threshold amount between 21MW and 35MW), and above normal (threshold amount above 35MW). For each tercile group, poor health status or higher loneliness have negative effects on QoL, while harmonious family relationship has a positive effect. For the below-normal group, years of education or self-esteem have positive effects, while age or retirement status have negative effects when controlling for other factors. For the near-normal group, being married, or perceived financial insecurity create lower QoL levels, while higher self-esteem increases QoL levels. For the above-normal group, being widowed, employed, or retired have positive effects on QoL, when controlling for other variables. Third, even among elderly with high allowances, the effects of health status and family relationship are significant determinants that explain QoL levels. This result suggests that, for te elderly, poor health status and poor family relationships severely decrease QoL in later life, regardless of economic condition.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.261-268
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• 2022

Recently, the number of elderly living alone suffering from loneliness and depression is also increasing significantly due to the rapid aging of the population and nuclear families. In this paper, we propose a smart aging system that increases life satisfaction by providing the elderly with the optimal service tailored to the elderly with the help of IT according to their residential environment and health status. It is possible to provide an advanced customized support system for the elderly by fully utilizing IoT, AI, and Metaverse techniques not only for the elderly who want to live an active life in society but also for the elderly who need care in a nursing hospital. The proposed system provides human satisfaction by providing social connection in real space and virtual space in accordance with the residential environment and health status to the elderly suffering from loneliness in hospital (hospital care) facilities and at home. This paper proposes a new path for future-oriented welfare policy for the elderly by providing a user-customized smart aging system by combining AI and Metaverse technology with a rapidly changing social environment.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.667-677
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• 2020

This study aims to investigate the effects of social connectedness on depressive symptom focusing on the comparison between the rural and urban elderly. Data from 'Korean Social Life, Health and Aging Project: KSHAP' was used for analyzing. The analysis included 948 rural elderly and 982 urban elderly. The results showed that urban elderly's depressive symptom level was higher than rural elderly's. Depending on the subcomponent of social connectedness, there were differences in the influence on the urban and rural elderly's depressive symptom. It has been confirmed that only loneliness has affected urban elderly people, and that appraisal social support and loneliness have affected rural elderly people, and that belongingness social support has not been significant in both groups. Findings from this research have some implications for intervention endeavors in reducing depressive symptom of older people.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.483-492
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was done to identify the relationship of perceived health status, leisure satisfaction, loneliness and life satisfaction and to identify predictors of life satisfaction for elders. Method: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey design using a convenience sample. Data collection was done using self-report questionnaires with 297 elders from 6 community health practitioner posts. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, t-test, Pearson correlation coefficients and hierarchical multiple regression with the SPSS Win 18.0 Program. Results: Life satisfaction had significant negative correlations with age (r=-.31, p<.001) and loneliness (r=-.73, p<.001), and positive correlations with monthly spending money (r=.44, p<.001), health status (r=.63, p<.001), and leisure satisfaction (r=.62, p<.001). The explained variance for life satisfaction was 72%. Variables of monthly spending money, health status, leisure satisfaction, and loneliness significantly predicted the degree on life satisfaction of these elders. Conclusion: Findings of this study provide a comprehensive understanding of life satisfaction and related factors for elders in Korea. However, further studies with a larger random sample and more detailed research design are necessary.

• 한국노년학
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.487-499
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to find out the degree of powerlessness factors among elderly and by examining the variables(perceived health status, ability of daily living activity, self-esteem, depression, family support, loneliness) which affect such factors. By searching for methods to improve the quality of life for the elderly, efficient nursing procedures can be developed, thereby leading to successful aging. For the study, we purposively collected 300 elderly above the age of 65, residing in the areas of Seoul, Inchon, and Daejeon. 266 samples, survived the data screening, were analyzed by reliability analysis, Spearman correlation, and a multiple regression. As the results, first, the correlated factors of the elderly's powerlessness included depression(r=.597, p<.01), loneliness (r=.423, p<.01), ability of daily living activity(r=.374, p<.01), perceived health status(r=-.304, p<.01), family support(r=-.384, p<.01), and self-esteem(r=-.420, p<.01). Second, factors influencing of powerlessness of them were to show in order of depression(β=.373), loneliness(β=.265), spouse(β=.099), family support(β=.090), monthly allowances(β=.013), these variables accounted for 45.7% of the variance of the elderly's powerlessness. Depression showed to be the most important of the powerlessness factors for the elderly. These findings suggest that nursing researchers need to consider important factors affecting the elderly's powerlessness and nursing interventions focusing on the issues need to be developed.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.87-98
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• 2002

This study is to reveal the overall level of loneliness, depression and social supports of the elderly in rural area of Korea. The interview survey was performed in February 2001 with structured questionnaires to 486 respondents of 65 years or more of age who lived in Muan-gun area. The questionnaire was the revised translation of Japanese Elderly Study Which was composed of general characteristics, Japanese Loneliness Scale, abridged General Depression Scale(GDS) and Duke University social support Inventory. The following analyses adopted the analysis of covariate, t-test, and Chi- squire were used for some of the cross- sectional analyses. Average age of 486 respondents was 73.9 years old. 58.0% of the respondents noticed their partner or son as the primary consultant for the stressful situation. 56.2% of the respondents experienced the loss of their marital partner, health and/or friends. Average score of loneliness, GDS and social supports of the respondents that was each $35.54{\pm}8.38$, $7.23{\pm}2.21$ and $26.01{\pm}.90$. The overall level of depression seemed to be low as the 'pleasure to be alive' and 'happiness' scored high while the 'state of anger' and 'ominous presentiment' scored low. The level of loneliness and depression was positively correlated while the relationships were negative between loneliness and support and between depression and social support. These results suggested that social and health promotional programmes be necessary for the elderly of rural area. Further research would be required to specify the necessities.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.59-73
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• 1999

It is known that the role of informal support for elderly women is critical to their physical and mental health, adjustment in old age, and their overall life satisfaction. Elderly women's situation such as social losses, widowhood, living alone, and geographic relocation etc. may result in a need for more informal supports for elderly women's health than ever before. Particularly, women's same-sex friendships were rated higher for overall quality, intimacy, enjoyment, and nurturance. Unlike a generally accepted notion that later life for women is a time of isolation and loneliness, elderly women tend to maintain and reestablish their friendship regardless their marital status and living situation. Although studies on informal support for elderly women were inconclusive in many ways, elderly women's friendship tends to be stable despite of changing health status and life events. The relative importance between daughters and friends was also controversial. This study suggests that more research with reliable measurements is necessary for the practical prevention and intervention program of elderly women's health on this issue.

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.5-20
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• 2016

Purpose: The objective of this study is to divide personal traits of the elderly living in a rural area into extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and loneliness and to identify the relationship between personal traits and receptivitiy to sharing living space in communal shared housing. Method: Subjects of this study are the elderly of ages greater than 55 living in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do. Depending on how often elderly welfare facility was used, places where the elderly gathered were divided into a senior citizen center, senior welfare center, and other places where they often gathered. The researchers visited each of the places directly and conducted a survey with face-to-face interviews. Result: The collected data consisting of 124 respondents were analyzed through SPSS statistical program. It showed that 5 personal traits, except for agreeableness, had statistically significant difference. Extrovert and low lonely elderly people had high receptivity. The relationship between personal traits and acceptable shared space revealed differently depending on the function of space. Especially, shared resting space was related to low emotion-oriented trait, such as neuroticism and loneliness, while shared hobby and sanitary space were related to strong management-oriented trait of conscientiousness. These findings demonstrate the importance of understanding personal traits in predicting receptivitiy to sharing living space. Also, it is necessary to compare the degree of receptivity to sharing living space based on personal traits and to plan shared space in several levels, such as full sharing, partial sharing, and individual use, to develop and supply communal shared housing successfully.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2021

Recently, community welfare centers including the elderly welfare centers are also interested in the issue of loneliness and are attempting a comprehensive approach to care for the elderly in the community.The problem is that there is a need for volunteers who are sustainable, but trained semi-professionals rather than non-professionals.Therefore, ways to provide education programs that can be based on continuous supplementation and specialization of manpower and to apply them to the field are being sought.The purpose of this study is to present a plan through examples with the aim of linking college students majoring in social welfare as a major resource for preventing loneliness of elderly people living alone in local communities through volunteer activities. It was suggested that volunteer activities of college students majoring in social welfare should be provided more systematically to the elderly living alone in the community.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.438-447
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• 2020

The purpose of this research is to investigate the mediating effect of sense of self-control in the relationship between loneliness and preparation for death of seniors living alone. The research results can be summarized as follows: First, the difference between the feeling of loneliness and the feeling of self-control, depending on the personal trait of the subject was examined. The subjects that are male, have no faith, and have their own houses showed a more intense feeling of loneliness than subjects that are female, have faith, and have their own houses, respectively. Also, the subjects that have their own houses and are engaged in economic activities showed a more intense feeling of self-control. Second, when it comes to the relationship between loneliness and preparation for death, seniors who had been hospitalized and had lower loneliness showed higher levels of preparation for death. Third, the analysis on the effect on sense of self-control revealed that the younger and the lower the loneliness, the higher the sense of self-control. Fourth, such sense of self-control had a partial mediating effect in the relationship between loneliness and preparation for death. Therefore, this research suggested measures to promote activities to prepare for death by decreasing loneliness and strengthening sense of self-control of the elderly living alone.