Types of Social Engagement Among Older Cancer Survivors and the Effect on Depressive Symptoms and Life Satisfaction: A Latent Class Analysis

To identify an empirical typology of social engagement and its association with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction among older cancer survivors.This was a cross-sectional study using data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging.Latent class analysis was used to categorize social engagement types. Hierarchical regression analysis then investigated the impact of older cancer survivors' social engagement on depressive symptoms and life satisfaction.Three classes were identified as follows: a religiously centered group, a diverse social participation group, and a passive participation group. Hierarchical regression indicated that the depressive symptoms of the diverse social participation group were significantly lower than those of the passive participation group (β = -0.157, p = 0.002). There was no significant effect on life satisfaction.This study enhances the understanding of engagement patterns and serves as a reference for older cancer survivors who need support.