Correspondence should be addressed to Soong-Nang Jang, Red Cross College of Nursing, Chung-Ang University, 221 Heukseok-dong Dongjak-gu, Seoul 156-756, South Korea. E-mail:
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2013 Nov;68(6):963-73. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbt084.
This study examines the impact of social ties on the relationship between widowhood and depressive symptoms among the older Korean population.
Data were derived from the baseline survey of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging. The sample consisted of 1,953 men and 2,469 women aged ≥60 years who were married and had at least 1 child. The 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale was the outcome measure. Multiple linear regression was used to evaluate the influence of social ties as the mediators and moderators on the relationship between widowhood and depressive symptoms.
The quality of relationship between women and their children accounted for 51.52% of the difference in depressive symptoms between married and widowed women, but only 11.36% between married and widowed men. The interaction of widowhood and the quality of relationships with children was significant only among men, and the interaction of this status and cohabitation with married children was significant only among women.
The quality of relationship with children plays an important mediating role in the relationship between widowed status and depressive symptoms among Korean men and women elders. Cohabitation with children may buffer mental distress for such women, and qualitatively good relationships with children may be important as moderators for the mental health of older Korean men after bereavement.
本研究考察了社会关系对韩国老年人群体中丧偶与抑郁症状之间关系的影响。
数据来自韩国老龄化纵向研究的基线调查。样本由 1953 名男性和 2469 名≥60 岁的已婚且至少有 1 个子女的女性组成。使用 10 项流行病学研究中心抑郁量表作为结局测量。采用多元线性回归评估社会关系作为中介和调节因素对丧偶与抑郁症状关系的影响。
女性与子女关系的质量解释了已婚与丧偶女性之间抑郁症状差异的 51.52%，而男性仅为 11.36%。丧偶与与子女关系质量的交互作用仅在男性中显著，而这种状况与与已婚子女同居的交互作用仅在女性中显著。
与子女的关系质量在韩国男女老年人丧偶状况与抑郁症状之间的关系中起着重要的中介作用。与子女同居可能会减轻女性的精神困扰，而与子女保持良好的关系可能是丧偶后韩国老年男性心理健康的重要调节因素。
