The purpose of this study was to identify the variables affecting hospitalized older adults individuals’ ego integrity. The survey was conducted through one-on-one interviews by nurses with older adult patients aged 65 and over who were hospitalized in a general hospital from June to August 2022. The variables were included general character istics, physical health, depression, social support, and ego integrity.
Descriptive statistics were performed to calculate percentages, means, and standard deviations of variables. T-tests, ANOVA, were used to see the difference of variables based on general characteristics of the older adults. Correlations were also calculated to find out the relationship among variables. The results indicated that social support is the most affective variable for the ego integrity of hospitalized older adult patients, and depression, age, and whether or not the patient had undergone surgery are followed. Specifically, patients who received more social support, experienced lower levels of depression, were older, and had not undergone surgery exhibited higher levels of ego integrity. The study analyzed the factors influencing ego integrity in hospitalized older adult patients through multiple regression analysis, considering age, high est level of education, surgical history, type of health insurance, and the study’s main variables: physical symptoms, depression, and social support as independent variables. The results showed that age, surgical history, depression, and social support significantly affected ego integrity.
Given the increased role of healthcare providers due to the implementation of comprehensive nursing care services, social support as a nursing intervention is crucial. Especially in a hospital setting where emotional and informational support is limited, it is important to provide various nursing interventions through social support to help older adult patients achieve ego integrity while maintaining their physical, social, and psycho logical health.