The impact of perceived human rights violation on psychological well-being in a super-aged society: The multiple mediating roles of self-esteem and social isolation

This study aims to examine the impact of perceived human rights violations on the psychological wellbeing of the elderly in Korea, a society that has entered a super-aged stage, and to empirically analyze the multiple mediating effects of self-esteem and social isolation in this process. The participants of this study were middle-aged and older adults, and the main variables were perceived human rights violation, selfesteem, social isolation, and psychological well-being. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted, and the significance of the mediating effects was verified using the Sobel test. The results revealed three main findings. First, perceived human rights violation had a negative direct effect on psychological wellbeing. Second, perceived human rights violation lowered self-esteem and increased social isolation, which in turn indirectly exacerbated psychological well-being. Third, self-esteem and social isolation formed a parallel mediating structure, and the multiple mediating effects were found to be statistically significant. These findings suggest that self-esteem and social isolation serve as crucial psychosocial mediators in explaining the relationship between perceived human rights violation and psychological well-being among the elderly. This study extends beyond the conventional focus on direct effects by validating a dual-channel analytical model that considers both individual-level factors (self-esteem) and social-contextual factors (social isolation). The results provide an important empirical foundation for designing policies and psychological interventions aimed at enhancing human rights protection and improving the well-being of the elderly in a super-aged society.