Successful Aging Perception in Middle-Aged Korean Men: A Q Methodology Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the types of perception of successful aging in middle-aged men and to analyze and describe the characteristics of each type of successful aging perception of middle-aged men in South Korea. This study uses an exploratory study design, applying the Q methodology, which is a subjective research method. The participants were 25 middle-aged men (40 to 60 years old) living in C, Y, and B cities, which were P-samples that were judged to best reveal the successful aging of middle-aged men. In this study, principal component analysis of the PQ method program was used. The five perception types of successful aging among middle-aged men are Type 1 for the “leisure type”, Type 2 for the “mature type”, Type 3 for the “health-oriented type”, Type 4 for the “patriarchal type”, and Type 5 for the “family-centered type”. The mature type had the highest variance among the five types, and the leisure type was the type that showed the second-highest variance. In nursing practice, nurses need to pay attention to the successful aging perceptions of middle-aged Korean men for their successful aging in the future.