The health status, aging anxiety, social networking, generativity, and happiness of late middle-aged adults

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify the relationship of health status, aging anxiety, social networking, generativity, and happiness and to investigate the main factors influencing happiness of late middle-aged adults.Methods: The study collected data from a total of 153 middle-aged men and women aged 50 to 64 years old from a consumer panel of Macromill-Embrain, the biggest online survey provider in Korea. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and a stepwise multiple regression using the SPSS 22.0 program.Results: The subjects’ happiness mean score was 16.17±9.29. Statistically significant differences in happiness were found according to education (F=4.38, p=.014), economic status (t=5.13, p<.001), and religion (t=2.18, p=.031). Happiness was correlated significantly with health status (r=.41, p<.001), aging anxiety (r=-.62, p<.001), family support (r=.43, p<.001), friend support (r=.36, p<.001) and generativity (r=.63, p<.001). The factors influencing happiness of late middle-aged adults were generativity (β=.37, p<.001), aging anxiety (β=-.35, p<.001), family support (β=.20, p<.001), and economic status (β=.13, p=.033). The explanatory power of the model was 58.0%.Conclusion: This study will be used as basic data when developing a nursing intervention program for successful aging by identifying factors that affect the happiness of late middle-aged adults.