Gender Differences in the Impact of Intergenerational Support on Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults in Korea

Abstract

Background: This study examined the relationship between intergenerational support patterns and depressive symptoms among older men and women in Korea. Methods: A nationally representative survey of non-institutionalized, community-dwelling older adults in Korea was used. A total of 7531 older adults (3592 men and 3939 women) was included in the analysis. Results: We observed gender differences in the impact of financial support exchanges on depressive symptoms. A lack of mutual financial support significantly increased the risk of depressive symptoms by 3.83 times (95% CI 2.34–6.24) in men and 1.73 times (95% CI 1.06–2.83) in women. Men who received financial support were more likely to experience depressive symptoms (OR (Odds Ratio), 1.81, 95% CI 1.36–2.42), whereas women who provided financial support were more likely to experience depressive symptoms (OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.21–6.56). The lack of an exchange of emotional support was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in both men (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.17–1.90) and women (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.50–2.34). Conclusions: We discuss the evidence of gender differences in intergenerational support exchange patterns and their impact on depressive symptoms within the context of Korean cultures and suggest that future research should be conducted on gender differences in the impact of intergenerational support on mental health across diverse societies.

Sex Differences in the Association between Living Environmental Factors and Nutritional Status in Community-Dwelling Elderly Koreans

“…In this study, women’s low NQ-E scores were primarily due to low scores for dietary behavior, which includes questions about difficulties in chewing foods, perception of one’s health, depressive symptoms, handwashing practices before eating meals, hours of exercise, and efforts to have healthy eating habits. Among the participants in this study, 40.9% of elderly women was living alone, which was higher than the 27.4% reported in another study [ 29 , 30 ]. Thus, it may be that women reported more depressive feelings because of the length of time they lived alone, which tends to be longer for women than for men due to differences in life expectancy.…”

Pensions and Depressive Symptoms of Older Adults in China: The Mediating Role of Intergenerational Support

“…Filial piety is a traditional Chinese cultural value that urges children to respect and take care of their parents [ 8 ]. Children’s intergenerational support is often an important guarantee for older adults to obtain subjective well-being, which may alleviate depression in older adults [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Study had shown that pensions affected children’s intergenerational support for their older parents [ 13 ].…”

Relationship between Children’s Intergenerational Emotional Support and Subjective Well-Being among Middle-Aged and Elderly People in China: The Mediation Role of the Sense of Social Fairness

“…In China, an individual’s perception of family relationships is mainly influenced by the filial piety, a central concept in Confucian culture [ 21 ]. Meanwhile, other eastern countries, such as Japan, also have strong norms of family obligation and filial norms about caring for older parents [ 22 ]. Thus, family members, especially adult children, are expected to take care of and support the elderly, and the family support seems to become an important source of living satisfaction and well-being for aging adults [ 23 , 24 ].…”