title: Are Koreans prepared for the rapid increase of the single-household elderly? Life satisfaction and depression of the single-household elderly in Korea.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In Korea, it has been estimated that the number of the single-household elderly increased 45% from 2005 to 2010. This research was conducted to provide empirical resources for development of a community mental health program by an explorative investigation on depression, coping mechanism, and life satisfaction of a single-household elderly population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This research applied a descriptive survey research design. Participants were 225 single-household elderlies residing in Seoul, Korea. The geriatric depression scale and the satisfaction with life scale were used to check the level of depression and life satisfaction of the participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results showed that 46.3 percent of the participants were categorized as having light-to-severe level of depression, and 80.5 percent of the participants responded that they were dissatisfied with their lives. This research demonstrated that the level of depression and life satisfaction of the Korean single-household elderly is statistically significantly related to age and gender as well as coping resources and human resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current public health services in Korea for the single-household elderly are still lacking and require active support, intervention, and research to provide effective programs and services. Case management, counseling, and various programs based on Korean culture including support from family members and community-based assistance are recommended to help the vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Daewon University College, 316 Daehak-Road, Jecheon-City, Chungbuk 390-702, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-Ra
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Yun-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D062486:Public Health Surveillance; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D020954:Single-Parent Family / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*