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A Study on Factors Affecting Depression of Single-person Households:Comparison among Young, Middle-aged, and Older adults

The purpose of this study was to explore which factors influence depression of the adults living alone. They were divided into young, middle and old age groups, and looked at how different factors affected depression in each group. The effects of socioeconomic variables and life satisfaction on depression were carefully considered. From the data of ‘the Korea Welfare Panel Study in 2017, 1,990 single-person households over the age of twenty were selected. Results showed that depending on age groups, characteristics of single-person households differed in terms of socioeconomic situations and life satisfaction. Overall, the situation worsened as the age increased. Findings also showed that factors affecting the depression of single-person households varied by different age groups, while more complex variables were associated with depression in the older groups. However, social relations’ satisfaction was the most important factor related to depression in all age groups. This indicated that social integration and connectivity were important in overcoming loneliness and isolation for the adults living alone. These findings suggested that an increase of single-person households would make our society to seek changes in the contemporary welfare system, and the practical and useful supports for enriching their social networks should be studied in the future.