Depression and Its Psychosocial Correlates Among Older Asian Immigrants in North America

Abstract

Recommendations for future research and the provision of clinical and community services are discussed within the psychosocial model.

Migration and health in Canada: health in the global village

“…24,[50][51][52] Finally, the stresses and pressures of immigration have been associated with depression and psychosocial illness, particularly in such vulnerable populations as the elderly or refugees. 53,54 Limited ability to speak English or French is also associated with reporting poor health (OR 2, 95% CI 1.5-2.7).…”

The Relationship Between Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Chronic Diseases, and Depression Among Older Korean Immigrants

“…This is because they experience distress from changes in their cultural norms and social conditions, and have limited resources for dealing with such distress (Gong, Xu, Fujishiro, & Takeuchi, 2011;Mui & Kang, 2006;Sin et al, 2010). Previous research (Kuo, Chong, & Joseph, 2008;Lai, 2003;Mui & Kang, 2006) has provided cumulative evidence that older Asian immigrants show higher prevalence and severity of depression than other ethnicities. Among them, older Korean immigrants have been documented as one of the highest-risk groups (Donnelly & Kim, 2008;Jang, Kim, & Chiriboga, 2005;Lee & Holm, 2012).…”

Ethnic Senior Schools, Religion, and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Korean Immigrants in the United States: A Qualitative Study

“…For older immigrants, language proficiency has been regarded as a critical indicator of acculturation, and low acculturation has been identified as a predictor of depression among older Korean immigrants (Jang, Kim, et al, 2006). Greater acculturation stress has been related to more depressive symptoms in older Asian immigrants (Kuo et al, 2008;Mui & Kang, 2006). Language acquisition has been related to low levels of depression among older Korean and Chinese immigrants (Casado & Leung, 2001;Oh et al, 2002).…”

“…Limited language proficiency, transportation barriers, intergenerational conflicts among family members, and loss of meaningful roles in the local community negatively influence the psychological wellbeing of older immigrants (Amit & Litwin, 2010;Choi, 2001;Treas & Mazumdar, 2002). Several studies have found that older immigrants suffer from diverse kinds of psychological distress such as depression and suicide attempts (Amit & Litwin, 2010;Kim-Goh, 2006;Kuo, Chong, & Joseph, 2008;Lee, Y., 2007).…”

“…Unlike older immigrants from Europe, most Asian immigrants were already elderly when they arrived in the U.S.; thus, they have had more trouble adjusting to life in this country (Treas & Mazumdar, 2002). Indeed, older Asian immigrants have suffered from higher rates of depression than native-born elderly individuals or non-Hispanic White elderly individuals in the U.S. (Kuo et al, 2008;Min, Moon, & Lubben, 2005). Acculturation stress, lack of social support, reportedly poorer health, and English deficiencies were risk factors for depression in older Asian immigrants (Lam, Pacala, & Smith, 1997;Mui & Kang, 2006;Mui, Kang, Chen, & Domanski, 2003).…”