요양기관에 입원중인 진폐증 환자에서 고독감과 삶의 만족도와의 연관성

Loneliness and Life Satisfaction in Pneumoconiosis Patients Hospitalized in Long-term Care Facilities

Purpose: Loneliness may be a typical psychological consideration in chronically ill patients, linking with low life satisfaction. We aimed to determine if loneliness would be independently associated with life satisfaction in pneumoconiosis patients hospitalized in long-term care facilities. Methods: We recruited 164 patients from 3 pneumoconiosis-specialized hospitals in M and S cities, South Korea, and measured loneliness and life satisfaction by using the University of California Los Angeles loneliness and life satisfaction index-Z scales. The Multiple regression analysis was performed to examine an independent association between loneliness and life satisfaction after adjustment for age, the levels of dyspnea and bronchitis- emphysema symptom, length of institutionalization, marital status, previous coal work experience, perceived socioeconomic status, and presence of caregivers. Results: The mean of loneliness was 46.4. We found a significant association between loneliness and life satisfaction (standardized beta=-0.16, p=0.049), independent of all the covariates. Conclusions: Loneliness was an independent associate of life satisfaction in patients with pneumoconiosis who were institutionalized in long-term care facilities. Thus, a nursing intervention strategy for relieving loneliness is needed to increase life satisfaction in these patients.