Mediation effect of social support between ethnic attachment and loneliness in older Korean immigrants

The purpose of the study was to investigate the mediating effect of two types of social support (emotional and tangible support) between ethnic attachment and loneliness in older Korean immigrants. Emotional and tangible social support had three components; network size, network composition, and satisfaction with network members. The sample consisted of 174 older Korean immigrants who lived in a metropolitan area. Telephone interviews were used to collect data using translated Korean versions of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, Ethnic Attachment Questionnaire, and the Revised Social Support Questionnaire. Emotional and tangible social support network size and satisfaction mediated the effect of ethnic attachment on loneliness. Older Koreans who had stronger ethnic attachment had more emotional and tangible supports, were more satisfied with their supports, and had a lower level of loneliness. Emotional and tangible social network composition did not serve as mediators in this study.