Sin Mo-Kyung, Choe Myoung-Ae, Kim Jeungim, Chae Young-Ran, Jeon Mi-Yang
College of Nursing, Seattle University, 901 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122-1090, USA.
Res Gerontol Nurs. 2010 Oct;3(4):262-9. doi: 10.3928/19404921-20100108-01. Epub 2010 Jan 29.
Depression among minority older adults is a prevalent underrecognized medical illness. Changes in cultural norms and social conditions because of immigration have a significant influence on mental health. The purpose of this study was to assess the interrelationships between acculturation, geographical location, gender, and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling elderly Korean immigrants and elderly Koreans. In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 88 elderly Korean immigrants and 295 elderly Koreans was recruited separately from senior centers and senior apartments. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Korean Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form and acculturation with years of living in the United States. Acculturation had no significant relationship with depressive symptoms (r = 0.01, p = 0.94). Depressive symptoms were highly present in both elderly Korean immigrants and elderly Koreans. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was higher in women. This study provides baseline data for development of culturally specific, community-based intervention programs for better management of mental health of elderly Korean immigrants.
少数族裔老年人中的抑郁症是一种普遍存在但未得到充分认识的医学疾病。移民导致的文化规范和社会状况变化对心理健康有重大影响。本研究的目的是评估社区居住的韩国老年移民和韩国老年人在文化适应、地理位置、性别与抑郁症状之间的相互关系。在这项横断面研究中，分别从老年中心和老年公寓招募了88名韩国老年移民和295名韩国老年人作为便利样本。使用韩国老年抑郁量表简表评估抑郁症状，用在美国居住的年限评估文化适应情况。文化适应与抑郁症状无显著关系（r = 0.01，p = 0.94）。韩国老年移民和韩国老年人中抑郁症状都很普遍。女性抑郁症状的患病率更高。本研究为制定针对韩国老年移民心理健康更好管理的、基于社区的、具有文化特异性的干预项目提供了基线数据。
