The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of generativity and ego integrity of the participants of the project for creating job opportunities for the elderly and to provide useful suggestions for the further progression of the project.
The d...
The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of generativity and ego integrity of the participants of the project for creating job opportunities for the elderly and to provide useful suggestions for the further progression of the project.
The data came from a questionnaire survey among 800 elderly people from 25 Senior Welfare Center in Seoul. 400 of them have been participated in the project ("participants") and another 400 not ("non-participants"). Total 624 samples were collected and analyzed.
The main findings are as follows:
(1) The comparison between the participants and the non-participants revealed that following factors are statistically significant: sex, education, self-rated health status, economic status measured by monthly household income and monthly allowance.
(2) Both generativity and ego integrity of the participants were higher than those of the non-participants.
(3) Generativity was highest among the participants in the educational type of participation. The most frequently answered motivation for the participation was "health maintenance". Generativity was higher for those who were more educated, had spouse, and were more healthy and more wealthy.
(4) Ego integrity was higher for those who have participated in the educational type, were motivated by "social meaning", were more satisfied with the project, and were more healthy and more wealthy.
(5) With regard to the satisfaction of the project participants, the majority of the people were willing to participate in the further projects. However, they were not satisfied with the income they gained from the project. Less educated participants' satisfaction was lower. The satisfaction was highest for those who participated in the project during between 36 and 60 months.
Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the mediated effects of participants' generativity. The analysis revealed that generativity, a mediating variable, effects ego integrity while type of participation dose not effect on ego integrity.
Based on the survey analysis the following suggestions are made to promote the Project for Creating Job Opportunities for the Elderly.
(1) The study showed that educational type of the project has a strong influence on the generativity. Considering this finding, the project appears to need renaming in order to stress the social contributing characters of the project. Following the American concept of Civic Engagement, we could call it "Senior Engagement" or "Elderly for the Community" and "Elderly With Us".
(2) As the study showed that the project in general has a strong influence on the generativity, the criteria of the project evaluation need to be extended beyond quantitative evaluation. For the purpose of evaluation, we could, for example, include such question as how much social contribution were made by the project.
(3) The Project for Creating Job Opportunities for the Elderly could lead to a higher life satisfaction of the participants, save the social costs and contribute to creating a happier society. The project contributes to the generativity of the participants and provides minimum means for their economic lives. Considering this, it is highly recommended to extend the scope of the project.
(4) The study showed that the degree of satisfaction decreases after 60 months. Considering this, there arises the need to explore the ways to maintain the satisfaction of the long-term participants. In the case of educational type we can introduce a graded payment system depending on the duration of the participation and other compensatory methods such as education to benefit the long-term participants.