삶의 의미 제고를 위한 AI와 대면 복지서비스의 효과: 고독사 예방 프로그램을 중심으로

This study investigates the policy effects of a pilot project aimed at preventing lonely deaths by employing the Difference-in-Difference (DID) method to compare high-risk groups with control groups based on emotional and psychological variables such as meaning in life, optimism, and loneliness. The DID analysis, which includes control variables, reveals that the lonely death prevention programs—such as in-person and AI-based check-ins, improvements to living environments, and the creation of community spaces—enhanced the sense of meaning in life and reduced loneliness among high-risk individuals. However, these programs did not significantly impact the levels of optimism. Among the individual programs, the AI-based check-in was effective in enhancing the sense of meaning in life, while the in-person check-in reduced loneliness. Regression analysis identified common influencing factors for meaning in life, optimism, and loneliness, including employment status, income, experiences of loss, social relationships, and intimacy. To improve the effectiveness of lonely death prevention programs, supplementary measures could include providing employment information and income opportunities to high-risk individuals, healing programs for experiences of loss, initiatives to promote social network formation, and more interactive AI care services.