earticle

영어

Objectives: This study aimed to identify the relationship between self-related health and depressive symptoms in older adults over 65 years of age, and also attempted to define the mediating effect of ego-integrity in the relationship. Methods: This study collected data from 197 elderly people over 65 years of age living in City A, which was then analyzed using SPSS 25.0 Program. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze the mediating effect of ego-integrity in the relationship between self-related health and depression. Results: Results showed that self-related health of subjects was associated with economic status (t=2.662, p=.008) and medication for treatment of depression (t=2.533, p=.012), and ego-integrity was associated with economic condition (t=3.135, p=.002), residence type (t=1.979, p=.049), and drinking alcohol (t=-2.147, p=.033). Depression was associated with gender (t=-4.179, p<.001), age (t=-2.546, p=.012), and medication (t=-2.748, p=.008), and ego-integrity demonstrated a partial mediating effect on the relationship between self-related health status and depression. Conclusions: The research results confirmed that there is a mediating effect of ego-integrity in the relationship between self-related health and depression. Based on the results of this study, it is necessary to develop various health management programs that promote improved self-related health and ego-integrity—a lifelong developmental task—in order to improve the depressive symptoms among the older adults.