Changes in life satisfaction among middle-aged adults living alone over a 12-year span

by Jaehee Yoon, Jeewuan Kim, Joohyun Chung, Heesook Son

This secondary analysis used data collected for the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging from 2006 to 2018 to examine changes in life satisfaction among middle-aged adults living alone in South Korea. Individuals who were over 45 years of age, lived alone at the time of the first data collection wave, and responded at least twice to the survey over the 12-year study period were included in the final linear mixed model (N = 124). Life satisfaction increased for those who had increased assets, were widowed, and had more frequent contact with acquaintances (i.e., once a month and once a week compared with once a year). Life satisfaction decreased as the number of chronic illnesses increased for underweight individuals compared with normal weight or overweight individuals and for depressed versus non-depressed individuals. This study’s findings indicate that increased social support is beneficial for middle-aged marginalized individuals, including those who are economically disadvantaged, have few social interactions, are underweight, and have chronic illnesses.