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. 2016 Feb;28(1):3-18.
doi: 10.1177/0898264315584578. Epub 2015 May 7.

Risk Factors for Social Isolation in Older Korean Americans

Yuri Jang  1 , Nan Sook Park  2 , David A Chiriboga  2 , Hyunwoo Yoon  3 , Jisook Ko  3 , Juyoung Lee  3 , Miyong T Kim  3
Affiliations

Risk Factors for Social Isolation in Older Korean Americans

Yuri Jang et al. J Aging Health. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: Given the importance of social ties and connectedness in the lives of older ethnic immigrants, the present study examined the prevalence of social isolation and its risk factors in older Korean Americans.

Method: Using survey data from 1,301 participants (Mage = 70.5, SD = 7.24), risk groups for marginal social ties with family and friends were identified and predictors of each type of social isolation explored.

Results: Male gender and poorer rating of health were identified as common risk factors for marginal ties to both family and friends. Findings also present specific risk factors for each type of social isolation. For example, an increased risk of having marginal ties with friends was observed among individuals with perceived financial strain, greater functional impairment, and a shorter stay in the United States.

Discussion: The common and specific risk factors should be incorporated in programs to reduce social isolation in older immigrant populations.

Keywords: ethnic minority older adults; social isolation; social ties.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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