The aging society shows a strong tendency of having more elderly persons who live alone. Numerous Western studies indicate that elderly persons living alone are particularly vulnerable to economic hardship, adverse physical and mental health outcomes....
The aging society shows a strong tendency of having more elderly persons who live alone. Numerous Western studies indicate that elderly persons living alone are particularly vulnerable to economic hardship, adverse physical and mental health outcomes. This study attempts to examine whether the previous findings have any significant meanings for the Korean society. It analyzes a survey sample of 208 elderly persons in a suburban district which contains some health behavior and mental health questionaries. The result reveals that the `single` group of the elderly has more physical illness, feels their health worse, suffers from melancholy and loneliness more often, and expects to depend on their children more than the `couple` group. In particular, the single-couple difference is more striking among women than among men.