노년기의 건강, 사회적 지지와 삶의 만족에 관한 연구 - 전북지역 농촌노인을 대상으로 - = A study of Health Status, Social Supports, and Life Satisfaction of the Elderly - Survey of the rural elderly of local province, Jeollabuk-do

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting life satisfaction of the rural elderly. Dependent variable is life satisfaction scale composed by 10 items, and independent variables are personal background, economic activities and financial conditions, health status, and social relations and social supports. Especially, this study verified the effect of social relations and social supports variables as intermediate parameter of health status on life satisfaction.
The data was collected through "Survey on the Life Condition and Health of the Elderly, Jeollabuk-do" conducted by JWDI(Jeonbuk Women and Development Institute). Final Samples used in this study are 350 cases, and these were analyzed by the t-test, and the analysis of variance(ANOVA), and the multiple regression analysis.
The results from our analysis can be summarized as follows: through regression analysis, such variables as a spouse's existence, the extent and frequency of contacts within social relations and emotional social supports are significant ones affecting life satisfaction of the elderly. These variables are still statistically significant when many other variables are controlled. Among the control variables, recognition of subjective health condition, IADL(instrumental abilities of daily life), average income and subjective evaluation of his/her financial conditions are significantly affect on life satisfaction of the rural elderly.
Through our findings and results of analysis, I can extract some conclusions and implications. First, the most important factor to explain life satisfaction of the rural elderly is the subjective evaluation of health condition. Though the physical functional problems of old people such as IADL affect life satisfaction, its explanatory power to life satisfaction of the rural elderly is lower than recognition of subjective health condition. Obviously, physical health condition is a main factor which affects life satisfaction of the elderly but self recognition about his/her health condition is more important to explain and decide to life satisfaction.
Secondly, another factor to affect life satisfaction of the elderly is subjective evaluation on his/her economic condition. Economic stability is an important factor to ensure the quality of life of the elderly, in the sense that economic stability reflects aspects of subjective evaluation of economic condition or working continuously after retirement rather than objective indicator such as income. Subjective dimension is more important than objective dimension of health or economic conditions in life satisfaction of the elderly. Accordingly, it can be said that successful aging is a reflection of recognition about objective life of old people.
Thirdly, As like subjective evaluation of economic or health conditions, existence of spouse, social supports factor such as the size and frequency of social networks are important factors to affect life satisfaction of old people. The social supports factor have an important role to explain life satisfaction in regression analysis when some variables are controlled. Thus, construction of social supports system on rural old people can enhance the quality of life of the elderly and make successful aging possible. Especially, when ole people are exposed to some tensions like the death of friends or spouse and their physical function deteriorate, they must be supported by leisure activities and social relationships with friends and neighbors as well as their family. Consequently they need the pursuit of emotional contentment. As korean rural community moves into a graying society, although providing economic activity or health improvement program is important to overcome a sense of alienation and loneliness which generate from spatial separation with their children, the reduction of family function and exclusion from economic activities, it seems to that construction of new rural community utilizing the relationship with neighbors or friends will contribute to enhance the quality of life of the rural elderly.
Finally, previous studies reported the finding that if there are a lot of social supports to old people, the bad effects about psychological health condition tend to be diminished. It is obvious that the effect of social supports on health status and conditions are great. But, the result of my study is that there's no such effect of social supports on life satisfaction of the rural elderly. Namely, degree of life satisfaction will be raised if much social supports are provided with regardless of health conditions.
My findings are very meaningful because I found that when ones recognize their health condition got bad or already got worse, there isn't any raising effect on the degree of life satisfaction by giving social supports alone. Regardless of the old people's health condition, only a lot of social supports has an effect which degree of life satisfaction will be getting greater.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 제 1장 서론 = 5
• 1. 문제의 제기 및 연구의 목적 = 5
• 2. 연구의 내용 및 방법 = 8
• 제 2장 선행연구의 검토 및 연구 설계 = 9
• 1. 삶의 만족 개념 = 9
• 2. 삶의 만족에 영향을 미치는 요인 = 12
• 3. 연구 설계 = 17
• 제 3장 자료 및 방법 = 20
• 1. 자료 및 조사방법 = 20
• 2. 변수의 설정 및 측정 도구 = 20
• 3. 분석방법 = 27
• 제 4장 분석 결과 = 28
• 1. 농촌노인의 개인적 배경과 주요 변수의 응답 분포 = 28
• 2. 농촌노인의 삶의 만족도 차이분석 = 34
• 3. 농촌노인의 삶의 만족에 영향을 미치는 요인 = 42
• 제 5장 결론 및 함의 = 49
• 참고문헌 = 53