• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.13 no.8
• /
• pp.3544-3551
• /
• 2012

As Korean society is quickly aging and experiencing longer life-spans, there has been increasing interest in the quality of life of the elderly. Depression has been indicated as an significant factor in the later years of one's life. The purpose of this study is to seek ways to improve the quality of life of the elderly in senior welfare center as it examines the quality of life and the extent of depression in them. One-on-one interviews were conducted with 127 subjects from the senior welfare center from November, 2011 to January, 2012, using Korean versions of WHOQOL-BREF and the Beck Depression Inventory. Among the interviewees were 62 males and 65 females. The study showed that the quality of life measured 85.82(${\pm}16.35$) points out of 130 and the extent of depression measured 9.45(${\pm}8.02$) points. The quality of life showed significant differencies according to education, degree of health, type of health insurance, occupation, and financial independence; while the depression varied according to gender, education, degree of health, type of health insurance, occupation, means of daily living, financial independence and leisure activities. Significant correlation was shown statistically between quality of life and depression. It is recommended that local communities develop programs for the promotion of the aged health and active social participation as well as job creation for the elderly, in order to improve the quality of life.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.73-89
• /
• 2020

This study validates an abridged version of the age integration scale by Chung et al. (2015), which constitutes sub-dimensions of age flexibility and age heterogeneity-from Riley et al. (1994)-and observes disparities in the perception of age integration among different socio-cultural characteristics. This study analyzed 1,433 people in the "Age Integration and Generation Integration Survey" data, with the support of the Social Science Competency Enhancement Project (SSK) (supported by the Korea Research Foundation). This paper analyzed the data using exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, multiple-group factor analysis, and a compare means test. The results are as follows. First, the scale was abridged to 13 items from 28, of which eight items concern age heterogeneity and five concern age flexibility. Second, the multi-group analysis did not show a significant difference among younger, middle, and older age groups, therefore allowing the scale to be used among all age groups. Third, when sociocultural characteristics were observed, younger adults showed differences in their levels of age integration, age heterogeneity, and age flexibility regarding their residential area. Middle-aged adults showed dif f erences in their levels of age integration, age heterogeneity, and age flexibility regarding their residential area and social status. Older adults showed differences in their level of age integration regarding their residential area, education level, and social status. They also showed differences in the level of age flexibility regarding their residential area and social status and differences in the level of age heterogeneity regarding their residential area and education. Based on the results of the study, political and practical measures to promote perception on age integration in the future were suggested.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
• /
• v.30 no.1
• /
• pp.71-130
• /
• 2008

Using data from the Korean Labor & Income Panel Study (KLIPS), this study investigates private income transfers in Korea, where adult children have undertaken the most responsibility of supporting their elderly parents without well-established social safety net for the elderly. According to the KLIPS data, three out of five households provided some type of support for their aged parents and two out of five households of the elderly received financial support from their adult children on a regular base. However, the private income transfers in Korea are not enough to alleviate the impact of the fall in the earned income of those who retired and are approaching an age of needing financial assistance from external source. The monthly income of those at least the age of 75, even with the earning of their spouses, is below the staggering amount of 450,000 won, which indicates that the elderly in Korea are at high risk of poverty. In order to analyze microeconomic factors affecting the private income transfers to the elderly parents, the following three samples extracted from the KLIPS data are used: a sample of respondents of age 50 or older with detailed information on their financial status; a five-year household panel sample in which their unobserved family-specific and time-invariant characteristics can be controlled by the fixed-effects model; and a sample of the younger split-off household in which characteristics of both the elderly household and their adult children household can be controlled simultaneously. The results of estimating private income transfer models using these samples can be summarized as follows. First, the dominant motive lies on the children-to-parent altruistic relationship. Additionally, another is based on exchange motive, which is paid to the elderly parents who take care of their grandchildren. Second, the amount of private income transfers has negative correlation with the income of the elderly parents, while being positively correlated with the income of the adult children. However, its income elasticity is not that high. Third, the amount of private income transfers shows a pattern of reaching the highest level when the elderly parents are in the age of 75 years old, following a decreasing pattern thereafter. Fourth, public assistance, such as the National Basic Livelihood Security benefit, appears to crowd out private transfers. Private transfers have fared better than public transfers in alleviating elderly poverty, but the role of public transfers has been increasing rapidly since the welfare expansion after the financial crisis in the late 1990s, so that one of four elderly people depends on public transfers as their main income source in 2003. As of the same year, however, there existed and occupied 12% of the elderly households those who seemed eligible for the National Basic Livelihood benefit but did not receive any public assistance. To remove elderly poverty, government may need to improve welfare delivery system as well as to increase welfare budget for the poor. In the face of persistent elderly poverty and increasing demand for public support for the elderly, which will lead to increasing government debt, welfare policy needs targeting toward the neediest rather than expanding universal benefits that have less effect of income redistribution and heavier cost. Identifying every disadvantaged elderly in dire need for economic support and providing them with the basic livelihood security would be the most important and imminent responsibility that we all should assume to prepare for the growing aged population, and this also should accompany measures to utilize the elderly workforce with enough capability and strong will to work.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.19 no.8
• /
• pp.160-166
• /
• 2018

This study was conducted to analyze the Ego Integrity, Subjective Pain, Subjective Health, Subjective Happiness and Social Support level of Community Dwelling elderly, and to analyze the variables that impact their Ego Integrity. Methods: A total of 250 elderly aged 60 years or above visiting a Senior Welfare Center in j city and j group of Jeonbuk were selected as subjects of this study for collection and analysis of data. Data were collected from January 8 to February 26, 2008 from 250 community-dwelling elders in Korea and subjected to descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. Results: only economic strength was influenced by general characteristics. Additionally, Subjective Pain, Subjective Health, and Subjective Happiness and Social Support l were found to have a statistically positive correlation with Ego Integrity. Finally, the most influential variables on the elderly Ego Integrity were Social Support (${\beta}=.194$, p=.002), followed by Subjective Health (${\beta}=.149$, p=.040) and four variables explaining 10.8% of the elderly Ego Integrity. Conclusion: it is necessary to develop specific intervention programs to improve Social Support and Subjective Health among Community Dwelling elderly to make it possible to enable Ego Integrity.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.7
• /
• pp.237-248
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy(MBCT) on chronic depressed patients. MBCT has shown great effects for curing depression and proving it can also prevent the relapse of depression. In recent years in Korea, there has been ongoing MBCT research, but has not been applied as a group program to chronic depressed patients. After reviewing the research and organizing data of MBCT treatment therapy mechanism, results found that the chronic depressed patients showed positive effects from the MBCT program. This study involved 8 patients aged 40-55, measuring the level of mindfulness(FFMQ), decentering, rumination, and depression symptoms before and after treatment from the MBCT program. The results indicate that there was a significant increase in FFMQ(mean change score=1.37, p<0.05) and decentering(mean change score=1.00, p<0.05), while there was a significant decrease in rumination(mean change score=-0.67, p<0.05) and BDI(mean change score=-9.5, p<0.05). These results have been continued during the 6 months. The MBCT program has prevented the relapse of depression, acting as a maintenance therapy.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.669-686
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate types of neighborhood environments and to verify whether the types of neighborhood environments are directly related to life satisfaction of older adults. To achieve this goal, I used'2014 National Survey on Older Koreans' data which surveyed the older adults aged 65 and over living in the community and a total of 10,281 respondents were analyzed. To determine the types of neighborhood environment, the time taken by walking from community organizations or places such as grocery stores, medical centers, administrative agencies, welfare centers, public transportation was used as an neighborhood environment indicators. As a results, there were six types of neighborhood environment: a leisure-welfare walk-limited type(20.3%), a leisure-welfare long-distance type(15.5%), a balanced proximity type(7.8%), a store-traffic type(35.8%), a traffic proximity type(10.1%), and a marginalized area type(11.3%). Compared to the balanced proximity type, older adults living in a store-traffic type and a marginalized area type were more likely to have negative life satisfaction. older adults who have higher life satisfaction were more likely to be female, more educated, get higher household income, and have a spouses or partner. Moreover, the better the health conditions, the higher the frequency of contact with children, siblings, friends and neighbors, the higher the satisfaction of life. Finding from the study highlight the importance of neighborhood environment in late life and provide implications for building age-friendly community.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
• /
• v.9 no.6
• /
• pp.97-103
• /
• 2023

The purpose of this study is to exploratively examine factors affecting walking at night anxiety among the elderly. Study sample for the analyses was 9,120 persons aged over 65. Factors affecting walking at night anxiety among the elderly were composed of sociodemographic factors, health-related factors, and social perception factors. Sociodemographic factors include gender, age, region, education, having or not having a spouse, household income. Health-related factors include walking ability, vision, subjective health status, cognitive function. Social perception factors include perception about other's compliance with laws and perception about safety from crime. The main results of the analyses are as follows. Among sociodemographic factors, factors that had significant effects on walking at night anxiety among the elderly were gender, age, region, education. Among health-related factors, factors that had significant effects on walking at night anxiety among the elderly were walking ability, vision, subjective health status, cognitive function. Among social perception factors, factors that had significant effects on walking at night anxiety among the elderly were perception about other's compliance with laws and perception about safety from crime. Results of this study show that there is a need for multiple methods to make safe and comfort walking environment for the elderly.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.473-486
• /
• 2007

This study focused on the diversification of the elderly living cost estimate through statistical analysis method and Engel method(market basket method). The results of this study were as follows. First of all, due to Engel method, it has shown that the minimum living cost of aged couples was 566,478won on average of 2006, single aged men 306,210 won and single aged women 260,276 won. Secondly, according to the first way of statistical analysis, the minimum living cost of elderly couples was 860,043won, the standard was 1,018,669won and abundant 1,287,555won. The second way of that, the minimum(of elderly couples) was 694.916won, the standard 1,037,779won and abundant 1,556,551won. Those numbers included imputed rent. These results were changed to that the minimum is 435,416won, the standard 548,250won and the abundant 699,844won when imputed rent were excluded Moreover, it was also represented that the minimum of Engel method was between that of quasi-relative standard line and that of not imputed rent. Lastly, in the deprivation indicators method studied by Korea Institute for Health and Social Affair, it was concerned that an underestimation of elderly deprivation might have been got if some inappropriate data include. Given this study, it could not be judged that various estimating ways had been tried were consistency, but market-basket method was keenly needed. Market-basket method is being an absolute estimating way including only elderly data. Therefore, what is asking for first is - because other analysis can be limited by absolute estimating ways, particularly market-basket method - to be required systemic and all-arounded elderly living cost with more various ways.

• 한국노년학
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.377-394
• /
• 2009

Using the Socio-cultural Stress and Coping model, this study proposed a path model to explore how cultural values affect the physical health of Korean American caregivers through caregiver burden, receipt of informal social support and utilization of formal care services. For physical health outcomes, three physical health indicators were employed: self-reported global physical health, self-reported blood pressure, and salivary cortisol. The path model was analyzed by using a sample of 87 Korean caregivers living in Los Angeles County and Orange County, California, USA. The major findings of this study included the following: 1) Stronger belief in cultural values was associated with more frequent utilization of formal care services, leading to lower levels of systolic boold pressure; 2) Cultural values did not affect the physical health of Korean American caregivers through caregiver burden. The demonstration of positive effects of cultural values on the physical health of Korean America caregivers through social support utilization call attention to the need of further research on the understudied group providing family care to frail older family members.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.5
• /
• pp.222-235
• /
• 2020

This study examines the poverty progress and its factors which drove the lives of the middle-aged men in Chokbang area. The observed examples are the retired government officials and the self-employed who have been classified as the ones in the economically-middle class but currently as the welfare recipients. According to the results of in-depth interview and observation, the poverty of the observed has undergone the progress of trigger, worsening, breakup, desperation and stabilizing stages. The poverty factors found in this study could be categorized into two factors; circumstantial factors(bankruptcy after IMF, debt guarantee for relatives) and inner factors(the participants' behavior and characteristics). The circumstantial factors worked mainly in the trigger stage and the inner factors contributed to worsening economic crisis and facilitating the progress. According to the result, this study suggests not only individual-scale measures such as encouragement of familial bond or medical treatment of the alcoholism but also social measures including proper regulation of shark loan and opportunity supply to exit from poverty.