COVID-19 대유행 시기 남성 독거노인의 삶의 경험

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored life experiences and meaning attributed to them by older men living alone during the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Data were collected from June to July 2022 through face-to-face in-depth interviews with 14 older men living alone and analyzed using the thematic analysis method suggested by Braun and Clarke. Results: The analysis revealed four themes and eight subthemes. 1) Unfamiliar daily life faced in old age due to COVID-19; 2) living a difficult life in a stopped society; 3) a life of constant effort amid change; and 4) daily life adjusting to the new normal amid regret. The participants volunteered to be secluded to adapt to their changed daily life in an isolated society, which led to depression. As time passed, they tried to adapt to their new daily lives by communicating untactfully to shorten their physical distance. Conclusion: This study suggests that it is necessary to understand socially vulnerable classes in national disaster situations and the need for various policies to respond to social isolation. In the future, developing an intervention that allows older men living alone to actively adapt to a changing society and verify its effectiveness is necessary.