Factors Related to Self-Confidence to Live Alone in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

BMC Geriatrics

Hana Ko¹  Yu Mi Yi²  Hye Ryung Cho³  Eun-Young Noh⁴  So Im Ryu⁴  Sun Ju Chang⁵  Yeon-Hwan Park⁵  BeLong Cho⁶ 

[1]College of Nursing, Gachon University, 191 Hambakmoero, Yeonsu-gu, 21936, Incheon, Republic of Korea

[2]College of Nursing, Kyungnam College of Information and Technology, 45 Jurye-ro, Sasang-gu, 47011, Busan, Republic of Korea

[3]College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea

[4]College of Nursing, The Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea

[5]College of Nursing, The Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea

[6]College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea

[7]Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, 103, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, 03080, Seoul, Republic of Korea

[8]Institute on Aging, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 71 Ihwajang-Gil, Jongno-gu, 110-810, Seoul, Republic of Korea

关键词: Ageing;    Independent living;    Self-concept;    Social isolation;    Depression;    Safety;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12877-021-02214-w

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMany older adults prefer to live alone in their own homes, with age-related issues in physical movement, regardless of their cultural background. Importantly, however, to identify the features of successfully ageing in place (AIP), and foster independent living among these individuals, this study explored their level of self-confidence to live alone and its related factors.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using secondary data from an earlier study with older adults living alone in South Korea recruited by convenience sampling methods (N = 936, mean age = 77.1 years, 76.1% female). Data regarding the general, health-related, and social characteristics as well as self-confidence to live alone were collected via face-to-face interviews in 2019. Self-confidence to live alone was measured with a numeric rating scale of 0 to 10.ResultsThe average self-confidence score to live alone was 6.59. A regression analysis showed that mould exposure at home, depression, emergency department visits, and loneliness hinder self-confidence to live alone. Meanwhile, such self-confidence was facilitated by independency in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), interactions with family members, social service utilisation, and social support.ConclusionsThis study suggests that healthcare providers need to consider the importance of self-confidence to live alone and influencing functional, mental, social, and environmental factors to promote quality of life as well as successful AIP for older adults living alone. Further, self-confidence to live alone could be a new practical index in the field of health and ageing to screen the successful AIP of older adults living alone.

【 授权许可】

CC BY