Community environments and mental health among older adults in South Korea: a two-stage analytic model of loneliness and depression.

Objectives

This study examined how community environments influence loneliness and depression among older adults and whether they moderate their association. A two-stage approach guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and the Environmental Press-Competence Model was employed.

Methods

Data were drawn from a nationwide survey of adults aged 65 years or older (N=605). Community environments comprised service accessibility and opportunities for community engagement. In the first-stage loneliness model, community environment variables and covariates were included. In the second-stage depression model, loneliness and interactions between loneliness and each community dimensions were incorporated.

Results

Service accessibility was negatively associated with loneliness and depression and moderated their association. Loneliness was positively associated with depression (β = 0.399, p < .001), and the interaction between loneliness and service accessibility was significant (β = -0.083, p < .05), indicating a buffering effect. Opportunities for community engagement were positively associated with loneliness and were not associated with depression, highlighting a distinction between the availability of opportunities for engagement and actual engagement.

Conclusion

Strengthening community infrastructure to ensure equitable access to social, health, and recreational services is vital for building age-friendly environments that reduce loneliness and support well-being of older adults.