You Kwang Soo, Lee Haeok
School of Nursing, University of Chounbook Providence, South Korea.
Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2006 Aug;20(4):193-201. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2005.12.008.
In Korea, as in other countries, the number of older adults is growing substantially, and the proportion of older adults is projected to be 14.3% by 2022 [Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Republic of Korea. (2003). Yearbook of health and social affairs statistics for 2003, vol. 49. Seoul, Korea: Government Printing Office]. The number of older people who are living alone in rural areas has been sharply increasing as a result of the migration of younger adults to urban areas for employment. However, information on the health status of elders who live alone is limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the physical, mental, and emotional health status of elders who are living alone and those living with relatives in rural areas in South Korea. A cross-sectional survey design was used, and data were collected by interviewing subjects. A two-stage cluster sampling process was utilized for those living alone (n = 110) and those living with family members (n = 102). Both groups were enrolled in KyungRo-Dangs (senior centers), which are like community centers in the province. The results indicate that elders who are living with relatives scored significantly higher on several physical and mental health parameters than elders who are living alone. However, elders who are living with relatives had a significantly higher emotional health status in almost every item than elders who are living alone. These findings suggest that interventions to increase health status, especially the emotional health of elders who are living alone, are imperative and that the intervention should be sensitive to changes in the social structure of elders who are living alone in rural areas. Further studies are needed to understand the factors that are associated with the physical, mental, and emotional health of elders who are living alone and those who are living with relatives.
与其他国家一样，韩国的老年人数量正在大幅增长，预计到2022年老年人比例将达到14.3%[大韩民国卫生和社会事务部。（2003年）。《2003年卫生和社会事务统计年鉴》，第49卷。韩国首尔：政府印刷局]。由于年轻人向城市地区迁移就业，农村地区独居老年人的数量急剧增加。然而，关于独居老年人健康状况的信息有限。因此，本研究的目的是比较韩国农村地区独居老年人和与亲属同住老年人的身体、心理和情绪健康状况。采用横断面调查设计，通过访谈受试者收集数据。对独居者（n = 110）和与家庭成员同住者（n = 102）采用两阶段整群抽样方法。两组均纳入庆老堂（老年中心），类似于该省的社区中心。结果表明，与亲属同住的老年人在几项身体和心理健康参数上的得分显著高于独居老年人。然而，在几乎每一项中，与亲属同住的老年人的情绪健康状况都显著高于独居老年人。这些发现表明，必须采取干预措施来提高健康状况，特别是独居老年人的情绪健康，而且干预措施应该对农村地区独居老年人社会结构的变化保持敏感。需要进一步研究以了解与独居老年人和与亲属同住老年人的身体、心理和情绪健康相关的因素。
