남일성1, 윤현숙2

1한림대학교 고령사회연구소, 2한림대학교 사회복지학부

Background: Recent studies conducting changes in depressive symptoms among the elderly reported mixed
results. The present study sought to determine if subgroups of elderly Koreans follow distinctive depressive
symptom trajectories and the characteristics associated with the depressive symptom trajectories.
Methods: Subjects were those who had participated in a longitudinal study of quality of life in older adults. A latent
class mixture model was examined to identify the trajectories of depressive symptom changes with time.
Results: We found four depressive symptom trajectories. Poorer health status, poor economic status, and less
social support were risk factors in the high depression group.
Conclusions: Early intervention to help elderly individuals manage their health, economic concerns, and social
relationships may decrease the risk of high level depression.
Korean J Health Promot 2014;14(3):112-120
Keywords: Elderly, Depression, Demographic factor