Abstract

The current study examined the differential effects of giving and receiving social support in the elderly when relationships(family, friend/neighbor) are important. For this purpose, the mediation effects of meaning in life on the relationship between giving and receiving social support and self-esteem were analyzed. Self-reporting data of 310 adults aged over 60 living in Busan and Gyeongnam in South Korea were collected regarding giving and receiving social support, meaning of life and self-esteem. The mediation analysis showed that giving social support had a positive effect on self-esteem with the partial mediation effect of meaning in life. Receiving social support, however, showed no significant mediation effect of meaning in life. This pattern was similar regardless of both family and non-family relations. The result that giving social support enhances self-worth in the elderly through meaning in life suggests the importance of social interaction with intimate others as a source of happiness in the elderly.