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Influences of Loneliness, Life Purpose, and Aging Satisfaction on Depression in Older US Adults: Analysis of 12-Year Longitudinal Data

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the separate effects of loneliness, life purpose, and aging satisfaction on depression in older adults, using 12 years of longitudinal data. The research used data from the Health and Retirement Study (2008–2020) for adults 60 years or older, with a sample of 7836 individuals. The data was analyzed using a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model to evaluate the impact of the independent variables on depression. The results showed that factors such as sex, age, and subjective economic level were found to have a significant correlation with depression among the elderly. Additionally, loneliness was found to have a positive correlation with depression, while aging satisfaction and life purpose were found to have an inverse association with depression in older adults. This study suggests that having a positive outlook on life and aging is crucial in preventing depression in older adults.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the Health and Retirement Study (https://hrs.isr.umich.edu), but restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for the current study, and so the data are not publicly available. Data are however available from the authors upon reasonable request and with permission of the Health and Retirement Study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Graduate School, Dankook University, Cheonan, Republic of Korea

    Gunhwi Pak & Sung-Man Bae

  2. Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, College of Health Science, Dankook University, 119 Dandae-Ro, Dongnam-Gu, Cheonan, Chungnam, Republic of Korea

    Sung-Man Bae

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  1. Gunhwi Pak
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Conceptualization: Gunhwi Pak, Sung-Man Bae; data curation: Gunhwi Pak, Sung-Man Bae; methodology: Gunhwi Pak, Sung-Man Bae; writing—original draft: Gunhwi Pak; writing—review and editing: Gunhwi Pak, Sung-Man Bae; supervision: Sung-Man Bae.

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Correspondence to Sung-Man Bae.

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Pak, G., Bae, SM. Influences of Loneliness, Life Purpose, and Aging Satisfaction on Depression in Older US Adults: Analysis of 12-Year Longitudinal Data. Int J Ment Health Addiction (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-023-01184-x

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