Life Course Pathway to Later-Year Depressive Symptoms: Multiple Mediation of Socio-Economic Status and Coping Resources by Gender

Drawing on a life course and stress process perspective, this study examined the pathway from childhood SES to later year depressive symptoms, focusing on multiple life course SES and coping resources in old age. Data came from the 2006 and 2015 waves of the Korea Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS). We selected respondents aged 51–55 in 2006 who were followed up when they were between 60 to 64 years of age in 2015. We merged the middle aged data in 2006 with the 2015 data when the respondents were 60–64 years of age (N = 687). Phantom modeling was used to examine a multiple mediation pathway and multi-group analyses were conducted to examine the gender differences in the pathway. For older men, satisfaction with social/leisure activities was a significant coping resource, while, for older women, satisfaction with family relations was important.