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Lifetime Family Violence and Depression: The Case of Older Women in South Korea

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Abstract

The current study examined the prevalence of lifetime family violence among older women (N = 525) and the influence of family violence on depression using data from a national survey in South Korea. The major findings were that 49.3 % of respondents had been victimized from lifetime family violence, the prevalence of childhood maltreatment was 37.1 % and intimate partner violence was 23.4 %. Approximately, 55 % of participants had clinical depression, which was significantly associated with reported experiences of family violence. The findings suggest that family violence and depression are common social problems and that individualized intervention for older women in South Korea is needed.

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  1. School of Social Welfare, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, South Korea

    Seok In Nam

  2. School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Karen D. Lincoln

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  1. Seok In Nam
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Correspondence to Seok In Nam.

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Nam, S.I., Lincoln, K.D. Lifetime Family Violence and Depression: The Case of Older Women in South Korea. J Fam Viol 32, 269–278 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9844-9

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