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KMID : 0379219900100010068
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Journal of Korea Gerontological Society
1990 Volume.10 No. 1 p.68 ~ p.86
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The Buffering Effect of Social Support on the Elderly´s Mental Well - Being
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Abstract
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A number of studies on American elderly have shown that the effect of social support on the elderly´s mental well-being is particularly significant when the elderly are confronted with life crisis situations such as physical illness. This so-called "buffering effect" of social support against psychological distress was tested for a group of Korean elderly in Seoul who had been surveyed by the current investigator in 1987. The regression analyses based on the survey data showed that the effect of social support on Korean elderly´s mental well-being is conspicuously more significant for those in bad physical health than others. Among the two dimensions of the elderly´s mental well-being, depression was more significantly subjected to the buffering effect of soical support than life satisfaction. Among the different types of social support, social support by kin members and instrumental support turned out to be more important buffers against psychological distress than social support by non-kin members and affectional support. While the varying significances of the different types of social support reflect the particular cultural and socioeconomic situations of Korean elderly, the results of this study as a whole further substantiate the buffering effect of social support on the elderly´s mental well-being in a cross-societal perspective.
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KEYWORD
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