The Impact of Elderly Users' Perception of Service Quality in Long-Term Care Services on User Satisfaction: Focusing on the Mediating Effect of Emotional Support

This study aimed to examine the impact of elderly users' perceptions of service quality in long-term care services on their satisfaction, and to determine whether emotional support provided by care workers mediates the relationship between perceived service quality and user satisfaction. To achieve this, a survey was conducted with 319 elderly individuals using long-term care facilities in Seoul and Gyeong-gi Province. Data were analyzed using SPSS, including frequency analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis. The key findings are as follows: first, the quality of long-term care services significantly affects user satisfaction. Second, the quality of long-term care services has a significant influence on emotional support. Third, emotional support provided by care workers has a substantial impact on user satisfaction. Finally, emotional support was found to mediate the relationship between service quality and user satisfaction. Based on these results, the study discusses strategies for improving the quality of long-term care services and enhancing care workers' emotional support capabilities to increase elderly users' satisfaction.