College of Nursing, The Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
BMC Geriatr. 2021 May 4;21(1):291. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02214-w.
Many older adults prefer to live alone in their own homes, with age-related issues in physical movement, regardless of their cultural background. Importantly, however, to identify the features of successfully ageing in place (AIP), and foster independent living among these individuals, this study explored their level of self-confidence to live alone and its related factors.
We conducted a cross-sectional study using secondary data from an earlier study with older adults living alone in South Korea recruited by convenience sampling methods (N = 936, mean age = 77.1 years, 76.1% female). Data regarding the general, health-related, and social characteristics as well as self-confidence to live alone were collected via face-to-face interviews in 2019. Self-confidence to live alone was measured with a numeric rating scale of 0 to 10.
The average self-confidence score to live alone was 6.59. A regression analysis showed that mould exposure at home, depression, emergency department visits, and loneliness hinder self-confidence to live alone. Meanwhile, such self-confidence was facilitated by independency in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), interactions with family members, social service utilisation, and social support.
This study suggests that healthcare providers need to consider the importance of self-confidence to live alone and influencing functional, mental, social, and environmental factors to promote quality of life as well as successful AIP for older adults living alone. Further, self-confidence to live alone could be a new practical index in the field of health and ageing to screen the successful AIP of older adults living alone.
许多老年人喜欢独自居住在自己的家中，无论其文化背景如何，他们都会受到与年龄相关的身体活动问题的影响。然而，重要的是，为了确定成功就地养老（AIP）的特征，并促进这些人独立生活，本研究探讨了他们独自生活的自信心水平及其相关因素。
我们使用韩国一项针对独自居住的老年人的早期研究的二手数据进行了横断面研究，该研究采用便利抽样方法招募了老年人（N=936，平均年龄 77.1 岁，76.1%为女性）。2019 年通过面对面访谈收集了有关一般、与健康相关和社会特征以及独自生活自信心的数据。独自生活的自信心用 0 到 10 的数字评分量表来衡量。
独自生活的平均自信心得分为 6.59。回归分析表明，家中霉菌暴露、抑郁、急诊就诊和孤独会阻碍独自生活的自信心。同时，独立性在工具性日常生活活动（IADL）、与家庭成员的互动、社会服务利用和社会支持方面促进了这种自信心。
本研究表明，医疗保健提供者需要考虑独自生活的自信心的重要性以及功能、心理、社会和环境因素的影响，以提高独自生活的老年人的生活质量和成功的 AIP。此外，独自生活的自信心可能是健康和老龄化领域的一个新的实用指标，用于筛选独自生活的老年人成功的 AIP。
