Predictors of loneliness in elderly Korean immigrant women living in the United States of America

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of loneliness in elderly Korean immigrant women. The sample was derived from a larger study designed to examine loneliness in elderly Korean immigrants. Subjects were 110 elderly Korean immigrant women who were at least 60 years of age and lived in a large metropolitan city area in the United States of America. Data were collected by telephone interview using the Revised University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (RULS), Social Support Questionnaire, Ethnic Attachment Questionnaire and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL) Scale. Measures were prepared using translation and back-translation procedures. Results indicate that elderly Korean immigrant women were more lonely than those found in other studies. Satisfaction with social support, social network size, ethnic attachment and functional status were predictive variables of loneliness. Satisfaction with social support was the largest predictor of loneliness in elderly Korean women. Marital status was not a predictor of loneliness.