Community environments and mental health among older adults in South Korea: a two-stage analytic model of loneliness and depression.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined how community environments influence loneliness and depression among older adults and whether they moderate their association. A two-stage approach guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping and the Environmental Press-Competence Model was employed. METHODS: Data were drawn from a nationwide survey of adults aged 65 years or older (N=605). Community environments comprised service accessibility and opportunities for community engagement. In the first-stage loneliness model, community environment variables and covariates were included. In the second-stage depression model, loneliness and interactions between loneliness and each community dimensions were incorporated. RESULTS: Service accessibility was negatively associated with loneliness and depression and moderated their association. Loneliness was positively associated with depression (β = 0.399, p < .001), and the interaction between loneliness and service accessibility was significant (β = -0.083, p < .05), indicating a buffering effect. Opportunities for community engagement were positively associated with loneliness and were not associated with depression, highlighting a distinction between the availability of opportunities for engagement and actual engagement. CONCLUSION: Strengthening community infrastructure to ensure equitable access to social, health, and recreational services is vital for building age-friendly environments that reduce loneliness and support well-being of older adults.