A Study of Changes in the Self-rated Health of Older Adults with Disabilities According to the Social Networks: Focusing on Physical and Sensory Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate change patterns in self-rated health levels and explore the effect timing of disability on these patterns. This study also examined the relationship between self-rated health level and social networks using a longitudinal study. For this, Multi-level Growth Model is used to analyze data from the 1st to 13th waves of the Korea Welfare Panel Study. The major findings are as follows. First, unconditional growth models showed that self-rated health of older adults with disabilities linearly increased from the lst to 13th waves. Individual differences were significant in the initial status and the growth rates. Second, there was a significant difference in the change of health status according to the time of disability onset. The health status of people with late-onset disabilities was worse initially than that of people with early-onset disabilities. However, the health status of the former improved rapidly over time. Third, it was found that social networks affect the health changes of older people with disabilities. Active network had a positive effect on health change, whereas the bonding network had a negative effect. These findings have provided various theoretical and practical implications for professionals in the field of social work.