노인우울에 영향을 미치는 요인에 대한 다층분석

초록

This study aimed at investigating the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and geriatric depressive symptoms. The data of individuals with ages between 65 and 99 were drawn from the 2010 Seoul Welfare Panel Data (N=1,413), and they were combined with various administrative statistics collected by districts(N=25). These data then were analyzed via Hierarchical Generalized Linear Model(HGLM). This study found that the neighborhood characteristics explained 20% of the log odds of having severe depressive symptoms. Among neighborhood level variables, district welfare budget for older adults and perceived level of neighborhood satisfaction were positively associated with the log odds of having severe symptoms of depression. District crime rate had a significant negative impact on the likelihood of having severe symptoms. Individual characteristics (i.e., age, poverty, disease, regular exercise) were more likely to increase the odds of having severe depressive while regular exercise was more likely to decrease the odds. The findings above illustrate the importance of neighborhood environment, which is in line with the “Age-Friendly City” that encompasses the concept of sustainability. The author finally suggested a need to consider neighborhood context in any effort to facilitate prevention and early intervention of geriatric depression, and made recommendations with respect to welfare budget, prevention of crime victimization, resident satisfaction on the neighborhood, and allocation of community parks.

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