Abstract

PURPOSE
The present study was designed to explore and compare attributes of the quality of life between Korean elderly and Korean- American elderly.
METHOD
The research design was a descriptive design and questionaries were used. Studies were done using questionnaires. Data were collected from convenient sample of 163 Korean elderly and 151 Korean-American elderly recruited from senior centers and churches. Collected data were analyzed by using SPSS/WIN 10.0.
RESULTS
There were significant difference between Korean elderly and Korean- American elderly in education and income. Korean-American elderly showed higher self- esteem, self-efficacy, and quality of life than those of Korean elderly. The influencing factors on quality of life in Korean elderly were defined as self-esteem and self-efficacy. And the influencing factor on quality of life in Korean- American elderly was defined as self-efficacy.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the results of this study showed that self-efficacy was a very important factor as attribution to the quality of life for both elderly group. Therefore, self-efficacy should be promoted in nursing intervention in order to enhance the quality of life for both Korean and Korean-American elderly.

• Keywords: Attributions; Quality of Life; Cross-Cultural study; Older