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KMID : 0379220150350041135
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Journal of Korea Gerontological Society
2015 Volume.35 No. 4 p.1135 ~ p.1157
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A Study on the Variables Affecting the Loneliness of The Rural Elderly: Focused on the Mediating Effect of Social Capital
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Oh Young-Eun
Lee Jeong-Wha
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Abstract
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The rural elderly have accumulated social capital based on kinship ties and long-lasting relationships. Thus, this social capital acts as a positive function in terms of the loneliness of the rural elderly. This study aims to explore how the rural elderly perceive loneliness and social capital as well as the variables that affect their loneliness. Social capital consists of 4 aspects; trust, norm, network and participation. The results of this study were as follows. First, the effects of subjective economic level, subjective health status, and support from adult children on the loneliness of the rural elderly were considered. Second, looking at the variables affecting social capital, it can be seen that subjective economic level and support from adult children had an effect on the trust aspect. It can also be seen that subjective health status and the network of adult children had an effect on the norm aspect. In addition, subjective health status had an effect on the network aspect. Furthermore, family type, age, subjective economic level, subjective health status and the network of adult children had an effect on the participation aspect. Third, according to an analysis of the structure equation modeling effect, the direct effect of subjective health status on loneliness was not significant. However, the indirect effect
of the parameters of the network aspect, the participation aspect, and the total effect were all statistically significant. This means that the network and participation aspects completely mediate the subjective health status and loneliness of the rural elderly. The direct effect of support from adult children on loneliness, the indirect effect of the parameters of the network aspect, the participation aspect and total effect were all statistically significant. This means that the network and participation aspects played a partial mediating role in the relationship between subjective health status and loneliness, and that the subjective health status of the rural elderly had an influence on loneliness directly or through the mediation of the network and participation aspects. This study confirmed that social capital had a mediated effect on the relationship between the health status of the rural elderly, support from adult children and loneliness. Furthermore, social capital had a positive impact on the loneliness of the rural elderly. Based on these results, a policy for utilizing the social capital of the rural elderly should be developed.
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KEYWORD
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Rural elderly , Loneliness , Social capital , Loneliness , Mediating effect
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