Kyeongmo Kim

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Self-Neglect among Older Adults Living Alone in South Korea

This study aimed to explore the prevalence of and risk factors for self-neglect among older adults who live alone. Data were obtained through face-to-face interview responses of 1,023 older adults living alone in a metropolitan area in South Korea, selected via stratified random sampling, which considered the population variables gender, age group, and district. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the prevalence of self-neglect, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify significant risk factors of self-neglect. At least 22.8% of the participants could be considered to have one form of elder self-neglect. Consistent with previous research, self-neglect was more prevalent in the older people living alone who had higher levels of depressive symptoms or a lack of family social support. Unexpectedly, self-neglect was more prevalent among respondents with higher levels of education and cognitive abilities, lower levels of medical comorbidities, and more children. Additionally, social networks of friends and use of social services (formal social support) did not affect the frequency of self-neglect. The findings have implications for gerontological practice and policy, especially for older people living alone in South Korea.

Assessing the factor structure of well-being in older adults: findings from the National Health and Aging Trends Study.

Objectives: Well-being has been conceptualized as a two-dimensional construct that includes both hedonic and eudaimonic components. To date, existing measures of well-being may not adequately capture both of these components for older adults, and limited literature has explored whether the two constructs can be integrated into one factor to measure well-being in this population. Method: This study examined the factor structure of the 11 well-being items from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative panel study of Medicare recipients in the US. Using data from the 2011 wave, we divided the community-dwelling sample into two random subsamples, testing our theory in sample 1 (n = 3305) and examining the replicability of the solution in sample 2 (n = 3297). Results: We conducted confirmatory factor analyses using a correlated uniqueness approach to account for the frequency and negatively worded method effects. The findings from sample 1 indicated that the single factor structure was a superior fit to the data, and the solution was confirmed by sample 2 [χ2(33) = 85.002, p < .001, RMSEA = 0.022 (90% CI = 0.016-0.028), CFI = 0.993, TLI = 0.989, WRMR = 0.831]. Conclusion: Findings suggest that although the hedonic and eudaimonic components of well-being may be conceptually distinct, they are highly correlated in the NHATS well-being measures and should be measured as a single construct. Implications for future research using the NHATS and research using other data sources and focusing on other populations are discussed.

Attitudes toward interprofessional health care teams scale: a confirmatory factor analysis

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess reliability and validity of the adapted “Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS)” with graduate professional students. Data using a cross-sectional design were collected from 288 graduate students who were enrolled at an urban professional university in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was run and it was found that a two-factor ATHCTS better represented the sample. Further, it provided evidence that the two-factor model is valid, and the quality of care and time constraint subscales are reliable. This study suggested that the two-factor model should be tested with different populations, such as undergraduate students, health care professionals and persons at other training programs. The ATHCTS can be used as an assessment tool to evaluate the effectiveness of educational or training programs designed to improve the attitude of graduate students toward interprofessional teamwork.

“Friendly” Initiatives: An Emerging Approach to Improve Communities for Vulnerable Populations

ABSTRACT A growing number of cities and towns are implementing “friendly” initiatives to change the community’s social and physical infrastructure to address the needs of a particular vulnerable segment of their population. Three prominent examples are aging-friendly, child-friendly, and immigrant-friendly initiatives. Although the limited but growing literature describes these initiatives as promising strategies to improve the quality of life of the targeted population, to date there has been little written about the underlying goals, values, and assumptions of these efforts. Using the value-critical approach, this article aims to better understand these aspects of population-friendly initiatives by examining the scholarly and grey literature. Social workers engaged in community and policy practice can play a key role in these efforts and call attention to the ways they may alleviate or exacerbate inequities. Future research is needed to assess the effects of these initiatives on their targeted population as well as other community residents.

Depressive Symptoms of Older Adults Living Alone: The Role of Community Characteristics.

Although some evidence suggests that community characteristics may play an important role in the development of depressive symptoms among older adults, current literature has not attended to the role of community characteristics in depression in South Korea. This study begins to address this gap in the literature by examining the relationship of community characteristics and depressive symptoms, controlling for individual characteristics. Using a cross-sectional design and probability sampling, we surveyed 949 older adults living alone in 70 communities in the Busan metropolitan area in South Korea in 2012. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis that community characteristics are predictive of depressive symptoms. We find that both the proportion of older adults and the number of senior citizen facilities in a community are associated with depressive symptoms, whereas community poverty is not related to depressive symptoms. Men with lower income, with lower levels of functional abilities, and without stronger family and friend social networks have a higher risk of depressive symptoms. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Interprofessional Experiences and Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Health Care Teams Among Health Sciences Students

This study examined how the interprofessional experience, including education and practice, affects graduate health science students’ attitudes toward interprofessional practice in health care teams. Data were collected from 227 graduate students, using the Attitudes toward Health Care Teams (ATHCT) scale. Both social work and other health science students had positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration with regard to its ability to improve the quality of a patient’s care. The results from hierarchical linear regression analyses demonstrated that female students, older students, and students with longer interprofessional practice experiences had more positive attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration in health care teams. Based on these results, implications for interprofessional education are discussed.

County Context and Mental Health Service Utilization by Older Hispanics

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Although older Hispanics experience high rates of depression, they tend to underuse mental health services. The study examined the association between county characteristics and mental health service use among older Hispanics, controlling for individual characteristics. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study used the 2008-2012 Medical Expenditure Panel Study and linked county-level data from the 2013-2014 Area Health Resources Files and the 2008-2012 Chronic Conditions Data Warehouse, using the Federal Information Processing Standard county code. The sample includes 1,143 community-dwelling Hispanics ages 60 years or older (Level 1) and 156 counties (Level 2) where the sample resides. The single dichotomous measure of mental health service utilization was based on whether or not the respondent met one or more of three conditions: (1) the respondent received care from a mental health professional, (2) received a service including mental health counseling or psychotherapy, or (3) received a service that was related to the International Classification of Diseases. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to examine the role of county context. RESULTS The proportion of older adults and the existence of community mental health centers at the county-level were associated with mental health services use among this population. At the individual-level, education and mental health status were also associated with using mental health services. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS The county context plays an important role in understanding mental health services use among older Hispanics, indicating the need for intervention strategies at the county level.

Older Adults’ Perceptions of Age-friendliness in Busan Metropolitan City

Abstract This study aims to investigate older adults’ perceptions of the age-friendliness of Busan. A total of 1000 older adults were recruited sampled using stratified random methods. The respondents in the study showed relatively low levels of age-friendliness in civic participation and employment, social participation, communication and information, respect and social inclusion, and housing. However, the levels of age-friendliness for community support and health, outdoor spaces and buildings, and transportation were comparatively high. Based on the findings of this study, several implications for urban policy are discussed.

Testing the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire With Korean Children in Institutionalized Care

Purpose: We tested the reliability and validity of the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C) in a sample of children living in orphanages in South Korea. Methods: Our study sample consisted of 334 children aged 13–18 obtained using a convenience sampling method. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to identify the factor structure of the 24 self-efficacy items and used a Pearson correlation to explore the scale’s validity. Results: The findings show the SEQ-C is a reliable scale with a three-factor model measuring social, academic, and emotional self-efficacy. Construct validity was also supported by finding a significant negative correlation between self-efficacy and depression. Conclusions: Our study informs social workers and researchers that the SEQ-C measure is a useful tool for practical evaluation and intervention that can be used for children with disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in South Korea.

Psychometric evaluation of the Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale with Korean Americans

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a Korean version of the Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale (CSE-K). The sample included 145 Korean American caregivers. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted to examine the factor structure of the CSE-K. We tested convergent validity of the CSE-K by examining its relationships with caregiver depression and burden. Internal consistency reliability of the CSE-K was also tested. The initial model of CFA based upon the structure of the original CSE revealed the poor model fit; however, the revised model produced the excellent model fit. Convergent validity was established, and excellent internal consistency reliability was found in the CSE-K. The results of this study show that the CSE-K is a reliable and valid measurement to assess caregiver self-efficacy for Korean American caregivers.