Associations of the related factors of depression, social support and social participation in kyungro-dang among older adults in South Korea: A structural equation modelling analysis.

Abstract

AimThis study aimed to investigate the correlations between depression, social support and social participation among older adults in farming villages and identify their associations with the use of senior leisure and welfare facilities, called kyungro‐dang, so as to provide foundational data for promoting community care in rural farming communities.DesignA cross‐sectional design was used to identify kyungro‐dang use among the 156 participants—older adults aged 65.MethodsData were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation analysis, factor analysis and structural equation modelling.ResultsOlder adults with high social support and social participation tended to use kyungro‐dang less. Our findings contribute foundational data to promote community care through kyungro‐dang. Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHW) plans to enforce to “Comprehensive community care plan” through kyungro‐dang in rural area. The result of this study shows the relation between Kyungro‐dang and social support, social participation, depression. This study recommends that MoHW in Korea focuses on enhance social support and social participation to gather before policy implications.