Self-transcendence, spiritual perspective, and sense of purpose in family caregiving relationships: a mediated model of depression symptoms in Korean older adults

Abstract

Objectives: This study used structural equation modeling to test the mediated model of late-life depression to understand the mechanisms that account for the direct and indirect effects of spiritual variables and purpose in life on depression within the context of Korean family caregiving relationships.

Method: A secondary analysis study design used data from a study that tested a theory of family interdependence of 157 Korean elder-family caregiver dyads in Seoul, Korea.

Results: Both caregivers’ and elders’ self-transcendence was positively related to their own sense of purpose in life. However, only elders’ spiritual perspective was related to purpose in life. Also, elders’ purpose in life was positively associated with caregivers’ purpose in life. Furthermore, there was a strong negative relationship between elders’ purpose in life and their depressive symptoms, but there was not a significant negative relationship between caregivers’ purpose in life and elders’ depressive symptoms. Last, elders’ purpose in life mediated the negative effects of elders’ self-transcendence and spiritual perspective and of caregivers’ self-transcendence and purpose in life on elders’ depression.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that purpose in life for both the caregiver and elder played an important role in elders’ depression. Self-transcendence also was related to decreased depression in elders. It is suggested that more attention be given to caregiver and elder purpose in life in developing interventions to reduce or avoid elder depression in Korean elders.

Keywords:

• spirituality
• self-transcendence
• depression
• Korean elders
• family caregiving

Acknowledgements

This study is a secondary data analysis using data from doctoral dissertation research of the first author, Dr Suk-Sun Kim. This research was supported by the Susie Dissertation Research Fellowship from the Global Korean Nursing Foundation (GKNF). We gratefully acknowledge editing by Dr Beverly Rosenthal.