Relationship between Emotional Abuse and Depression among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Korea

Despite recent advances, there is little research on factors associated with emotional abuse among Korean older adults. The present study investigated the relationships between depression and emotional abuse among community-dwelling Korean older adults. We analyzed the dataset from the Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Persons conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs in 2011. Older adults (aged >65 years, n=10674) were randomly selected. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with emotional abuse in terms of sociodemographic, health-related, and psychological variables, including depression using the short version of the Geriatric Depression Scale. In our study, 9.4% of the older adults reported experiencing emotional abuse in the previous year. In addition, 44.0% of those experiencing emotional abuse suffered from depression. Multiple logistic regression modeling showed that depression in older adults was independently associated with emotional abuse [odds ratio (OR)=1.788, p<0.001]. Along with depression, poor social support (OR for no social support=1.712, p<0.001) and having chronic illnesses (OR for more than 3=1.481, p<0.005) were associated an increased risk of emotional abuse. Our results showed that emotional abuse among older adults in Korea is prevalent. Our findings suggest that depression, poor social support, and having chronic illnesses are significant factors associated with emotional abuse among the Korean older adult population. Addressing these factors with preventive interventions could have significant public health implications. Further studies are warranted to gain a better understanding of emotional abuse in older Korean adults.