Life Satisfaction of Korean Elderly Parents According To Offspring Gender: A Kangwha Cohort Study

Abstract

Background: The aging population trend is increasing globally and raises social concerns regarding life satisfaction of elderly people. Offspring are perceived to be a significant factor for Korean elderly people. This study identified whether elderly life satisfaction was related to offspring gender. Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of 2,875 respondents (male, 7,176; female, 1,699) aged 65 years or older from the Kangwha Cohort Study. Analysis of variance and linear regression model were used to analyze the association between offspring gender and life satisfaction. The variables related to life satisfaction were controlled for in the present study. Results: Elderly Korean women who had son(s) and daughter(s) scored on average 6.491 points (p = 0.000) higher on the Life Satisfaction Index (LSI) than women with no children. Parents who were 75-84 years old and had only son(s) scored on average 6.166 points (p = 0.034) higher on the LSI than parents of the same age with no children after adjusting for age, marital status, occupation, education, chronic disease, smoking, and alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Life satisfaction of elderly Korean parents varied according to offspring gender. The results may be related to ideology of the nuclear family, tradition of male child preference, importance of social support, and vulnerability of the social security system as Korean social cultural characteristics.