The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between elderly depression and negative life stress and to investigate the buffering effects of social support and perceived strengths on the relationship. The participants of this study were elderly women who had not received a diagnosis of dementia and were sampled from the elderly residents in Busan. A total of 181 cases were included for the final hierarchical multiple regression analysis. It was found that a lower activity in daily living, a higher level of stress, a lower level of perceived interpersonal relationship strengths, and a lower level of family support led to a high degree of feelings of depression. In terms of the effect of social support and the perceived strengths of the relationship between stress and depression, perceived strengths relieved depression derived from stress. It turned out that the interaction between stress and the perceived strengths effected depression levels controlling for other socioeconomic variables. The findings of this study contribute to an increased understanding of depression among elderly women and suggest a cognitive behavioral intervention to enhance positive thinking in terms of preventing depression and managing depression. The limitations of this study are discussed along with some suggestions for future research and strategies.
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