Understanding Well-Dying Research in a Rapidly Aging Society: A Text Network and Topic Modeling Analysis of Korean Academic Publications

Abstract

Highlights What are the main findings? We identified four major research domains in well-dying studies via text network analysis and LDA topic modeling: psychological well-being and death preparation, social and policy approaches, healthcare education, and legal–ethical decision-making. Well-dying research has evolved from individual-level death awareness toward broader discussions encompassing healthcare systems, community-based support, public policy, and life-sustaining treatment decisions. What are the implications of the main findings? The findings demonstrate that well-dying is increasingly recognized as a multidimensional social and healthcare issue requiring integrated approaches across the medical, welfare, legal, and community sectors. As one of the world’s fastest-aging societies, the Korean population provides valuable insights for countries preparing for similar demographic transitions and the development of sustainable end-of-life care systems. Abstract Background/Objectives: Population aging has emerged as a major global challenge, particularly in Asian countries experiencing rapid demographic transitions. Among them, South Korea represents one of the fastest aging societies in the world, having rapidly transitioned into a super-aged society. As aging populations expand worldwide, increasing attention has been directed toward well-dying as an important component of quality of life, end-of-life care, and social well-being in later life. This study aims to identify the major research trends and knowledge structures of well-dying studies by applying text net-work analysis and LDA-based topic modeling. Methods: A total of 91 Korean academic studies related to well-dying published between 2016 and March 2026 were collected from publicly accessible scholarly databases and analyzed via keyword frequency, degree centrality, and community detection analyses, as well as LDA-based topic modeling. Results: The results showed that keywords such as “death,” “awareness,” “education,” “older adults,” “medical care,” and “life-sustaining treatment” played central roles in the knowledge network. Community analysis revealed that well-dying research has evolved into interconnected domains involving psychological preparations for death, hospice and palliative care, legal and ethical decision-making, and community-based aging policies. Topic modeling further identified four major themes: (1) psychological well-being and death preparation in later life, (2) social and policy approaches to well-dying, (3) well-dying education and healthcare perceptions, and (4) legal and ethical issues surrounding life-sustaining treatment decisions. Conclusions: The findings suggest that well-dying research is expanding from individual psychological adaptation to broader social, medical, legal, and policy dimensions. As one of the world’s fastest-aging societies, the Korean case provides meaningful implications for other countries facing accelerated population aging and highlights the importance of integrated well-dying policies and community-based support systems in super-aged societies.