Analysis of the Longitudinal Relationships between Work Characteristics, Depression, and Subjective Health Status in the Elderly: Utilizing the Autoregressive Cross-Lagged Model

The purpose of this study is to examine the longitudinal reciprocal relationships between depression and subjective health status according to the characteristics of employment activities(monthly average wage, weekly working hours) among the elderly, using the autoregressive cross-lagged model. For this purpose, data from 2,188 individuals aged 60 and above, collected from the 6th to 9th waves (2016-2022) of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA), were analyzed. The measurement tools used include the CES-D-10 for depression and a reverse-scored item for subjective health status. The results are as follows: Firstly, average monthly wage (t) had a negative effect on depression (t+1) and subjective health status (t+1). Secondly, working hours (t) had a negative effect on subjective health status (t+1), but did not have a statistically significant effect on depression (t+1). This study highlights the necessity of elderly employment and provides policy recommendations to reduce depression and improve health status through active work activities at the time of retirement.