Correlates of Depression in the Korean American Elderly: Focusing on Personal Resources of Social Support (original) (raw)
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Social Support and Depression Among Elderly Korean Immigrants in the United States
The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 1996
Based on the integrative concept of social support, we investigated the effects of quantitative, structural, and functional aspects of social relationships on the level of depressive symptoms among elderly Korean immigrants, taking into account their level of acculturation and life stress. Korean elders having more close persons and more frequent contacts with them exhibited fewer depressive symptoms. Networks providing instrumental support consisted mainly of family ties; networks for emotional support included diverse relationships as well as family members. Emotional support was found to moderate the harmful effect of life stress, and thus to be more relevant than instrumental support to the mental health of Korean elderly.
Living in a Different World: Acculturative Stress Among Korean American Elders
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 2010
Using a sample of Korean American elders, this study examined internal mechanisms by which the level of acculturation influences mental health outcomes. We hypothesized that the impact of five domains of acculturation on mental distress (depressive symptoms and anxiety) would be mediated by individuals' subjectively appraised acculturative stress. The latter was indexed by measures of task-oriented and emotion-oriented stress. The results from structural equation modeling with 472 Korean American elders in Florida (M age = 69.9, SD = 7.04) provided support for the mediation model. Findings demonstrate that acculturation exerts an influence on mental health and that acculturative stress functions as a mediator in the linkage between the level of acculturation and mental distress. Findings suggest avenues for facilitating immigrant elders' positive adaptation and promoting their mental well-being.
International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 2004
The relationship between acculturative stress and mental health symptoms and the role of social support as a moderator of this relationship was studied among Korean international students (N=74) living in the Pittsburgh area. Findings included: (1) acculturative stress was strongly correlated with mental health symptoms; (2) social support moderated and buffered the effect of stress on symptoms. Students with high levels of social support were significantly less likely to report symptoms with increasing levels of acculturative stress, compared to students reporting low levels of social support; and (3) the buffering effect of support was mainly or exclusively present when there was a high level of acculturation to American language and interpersonal associations. Granting limitations imposed by the small convenience sample, the study supports the theoretical buffering role for social support in the context of acculturative processes and suggests the need for facilitating the support systems of international students, particularly as they become more acculturated. r
The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 2011
Depression in old age significantly decreases the quality of life and may lead to serious consequences, such as suicide. Existing literature indicates that elderly Korean immigrants may experience higher levels of depression than other racial ethnic group elders. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate factors that influence depression among older Korean immigrants in Toronto. A total of 148 participants, ages 60 years or older (mean age = 74.01, SD = 8.24), completed face-to-face interviews in Korean language. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted by adding variables in three steps: 1) demographic variables; 2) acculturation variables (years of immigration and English proficiency); and 3) social determinants (social integration variables, physical health, and financial satisfaction). Results showed that acculturation factors were not associated with depression. Instead, social determinants variables, including lower physical health status and lower financial status, living alone, and lower level of social activity, predicted higher level of depressive symptoms, along with lower education. The final regression model explained about 37% of variance of depression in the sample. These results suggest that social determinants, not acculturation, are important factors explaining the levels of depression in Korean immigrant elders living in a metropolitan city in Canada. Implications for practice are discussed.
Asian American Journal of Psychology, 2013
Immigration is a stressful experience. Social support from and negative interaction with relatives or friends play important roles in the health and well-being of immigrants. Data for this study came from the National Latino and Asian American Study, the first nationally representative household epidemiological survey of its kind (n ϭ 1,639). Hierarchical regression models and structural equation modeling were used to test the direct, moderating, and mediating functions of social support and negative interaction on the effect of acculturative stress on depressive symptoms among Asian immigrants. The findings indicate that acculturative stress was significantly associated with depressive symptoms after controlling other variables. Social support had a direct beneficial effect and negative interaction had a direct harmful impact on depressive symptoms among Asian immigrants. In addition, negative interaction moderated and social support partially mediated the effect of acculturative stress on depressive symptoms. This finding suggests that Asian immigrants in the United States are vulnerable to psychological distress in the form of depressive symptoms while adjusting to a new culture.
Social Capital in Ethnic Communities and Mental Health: A Study of Older Korean Immigrants
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 2015
This study examined how social capital in ethnic communities (e.g., social cohesion, community support, community participation, and negative interaction) influences depressive symptoms of older Korean immigrants. Using survey data from 209 participants in Central Texas (M age =69.6, SD=7.50), hierarchical regression models of depressive symptoms were examined with the following sets of predictors: (1) demographics, (2) physical health, (3) sociocultural factors, and (4) ethnic community factors. After controlling for the multiple sets of individual-level variables previously known to be important predictors of mental health, ethnic community factors made a substantial contribution. Higher levels of depressive symptoms were observed among individuals who received lower levels of community support (β= −0.14, p<0.05), had limited participation in ethnic community events and activities (β=−0.15, p<0.05), and reported more frequent negative interactions with ethnic community members (β=0.12, p<0.05). Findings highlight the importance of social capital in ethnic communities and hold implications for improving older ethnic immigrants' mental well-being.
Factors Associated With Depression Experience of Immigrant Populations: A Study of Korean Immigrants
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 2005
A correlational, cross-sectional study with multivariate analysis was conducted to identify factors that influence the depression experience in 154 Korean immigrants. Based on the stress-health outcome framework, four variables (i.e., sense of mastery, socioeconomic status, social support, and acculturation) were tested for their mediating effects between stress and depression experienced by Korean Americans. Path analyses showed that the negative effect of life stress on depression was buffered by higher levels of sense of mastery and social support in the Korean sample. Implications for future cross-cultural depression research and preventive strategies against depression in immigrant populations are discussed. D
Acculturation and Depressive Symptoms in Korean Immigrant Women
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 2009
Depression is one of the most prevalent health problems for immigrants in the United States (U.S.) and it has been associated with the process of acculturation. A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify subgroups of Korean immigrant women based on their Korean as well as American acculturation levels using cluster analysis and to determine whether these subgroups differ on depressive symptoms in 200 Korean immigrant women aged 20-64. Cluster analysis identified four as the most appropriate number of subgroups: they were designated as Korean cluster (45%), Marginalized cluster (26%), American cluster (22%), and Bicultural cluster (7%). Korean cluster had high scores on Korean acculturation and low American acculturation, Marginalized had low for both, American had high scores on American acculturation, low for Korean acculturation, and Bicultural had high scores for both. Women in the Marginalized subgroup reported significantly higher depression scores than women in the American and Korean clusters. It is important to identify immigrants who do not relate to either their heritage culture or the new host culture and address their mental health risk issues.