Journal of Korean Gerontological Nursing 2002;4(1):80-92.

노인의 사회적 지지망과 죽음불안과의 관계

장인순, 김수미

Abstract

In this descriptive correlation study, the relationship between the social network and the death anxiety of elders was investigated in order to prevent death anxiety and to provide the preliminary data for an effective nursing intervention method. The participants in this study included 263 elders of both genders who were at least 60-years old having their own housing. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS program. Statistics included frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Tukey-test and Pearson correlation analysis. The results of the study are as follows: 1. The average score for death anxiety by the participants was 43.8 out of 64, and the question showing the highest score for death anxiety was 'I will deeply mourn when close relatives or friends pass away.' 2. Among the general characteristics related to death anxiety in elders, residential area, level of education, family structure, and pain were found to be significantly related. 3. Correlation between social network and death anxiety showed that when the scores for interactional direction in reception, service support, and emergency support were relatively high, the level of death anxiety was significantly lowered. From the study, we conclude that elders should be assisted with various interventional methods to help them to understand death to prepare the final part of their life more effectively.

Key words: 노인, 사회적 지지망, 죽음불안