Tapgol Park, located in central Seoul, is a popular destination for local seniors. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Fewer family interactions in the pandemic era have resulted in a doubling of the risk of depression among seniors, a study showed Tuesday.
A research team from the SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital announced on Tuesday the results of a nationwide cohort survey on seniors over 60 years of age.
The survey was based on data from 2,308 participants who responded to all biannual surveys conducted between November 2016 and November 2020.
The research team held interviews to determine the symptoms of depression, and measure the severity through questionnaires for self-test, which showed that the risk of depression among seniors has doubled in the pandemic era.
Those who had never been diagnosed with depression in the past were also 2.4 times more likely to suffer from depression.
Dwindling family interaction worked as a primary factor.
Seniors whose time spent interacting with family members dropped to less than one hour per week were 2.2 times more likely to suffer from depression than those who spent more than one hour with their family each week.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
