The Mediating Effect of Psychological Empowerment in the Relationship between Lifelong Learning Competency and Preparation for Old Age in the New Middle Aged

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between lifelong learning competency, preparation for old age, and psychological empowerment, and to verify the mediating effect of psychological empowerment in the relationship between lifelong learning competency and preparation for old age in the new middle aged. In this study, data were collected from the new middle aged 50 to 69 years old living in Korea and the data of the 212 people were analyzed. To verify the mediating effect, data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro (Model 4) of Hayes (2013). The main results of the study were: First, there was a significant positive correlation between lifelong learning competency and preparation for old age in the new middle aged. Second, psychological empowerment showed a partial mediating effect on the relationship between lifelong learning competency and preparation for old age in the new middle aged. The above research results suggest the need to develop and provide programs to increase lifelong learning competency and psychological empowerment for the new middle aged in order to increase their preparation for old age.