earticle

영어

The Effect of Marital Conflict and Problem Drinking on Depression of the Elderly Hee Guk Kim* * Department of Social Welfare, Sangji University Objectives: This study was conducted to find out the effects of marital conflict and problem drinking on depression of the elderly. Methods: The participants of this study were 149 elderly, who have their spouses. The data were analyzed by frequency, co-relation analysis, and hierarchial multiple regression. Results: First, the sex and age of the elderly was associated with their level of depression. Second, The marital conflict had significant influence on depression of the elderly. Depression became more severe when marital conflict was higher. Third, drinking problem of both self and spouse influenced their depression. Fourth, the drinking problem of self had no significant moderating effect on depression but spouse had significant effect on it. Conclusion: Based on these findings, practical strategies of prevention and intervention for the elderly couples were suggested to improve their marital relationship and mental health.