Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, School of Nursing, Ackerson Hall, 180 University Avenue, Newark, NJ, 07102-1803, USA.
Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, Hunter College, CUNY, 425 E. 25th St., New York, NY, 10010-2590, USA.
Community Ment Health J. 2020 Oct;56(7):1331-1343. doi: 10.1007/s10597-020-00570-2. Epub 2020 Feb 5.
Older immigrants are at risk of developing mental illness. This study aims to examine mental health service utilization among older Chinese immigrants, using a mixed-method design. Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use informed an examination of predictors of mental health services utilization, and semi-structured individual interviews were conducted to illuminate these findings. Participants who were younger, had less than a high school education, and had a higher level of depressive symptoms were more likely to use mental health services. Stressors of psychological distress included breakdown of support system, language barriers, and financial hardships. Factors influencing mental health services use included information from family/friends, referrals from primary care physicians, perceived needs for help, mental health stigma, and culturally competent mental health professionals. Understanding the factors associated with seeking mental health services for older Chinese immigrants could help health care providers to develop early screening programs and culturally sensitive interventions.
老年移民面临患上精神疾病的风险。本研究旨在采用混合方法设计，考察老年华人群体的精神卫生服务利用情况。安德森的卫生服务利用行为模型为精神卫生服务利用的预测因素提供了参考，并进行了半结构化的个体访谈来阐明这些发现。研究发现，使用精神卫生服务的参与者更年轻，受教育程度较低，抑郁症状程度更高。心理困扰的压力源包括支持系统的崩溃、语言障碍和经济困难。影响精神卫生服务利用的因素包括来自家庭/朋友的信息、初级保健医生的转介、对帮助的需求、精神卫生污名化以及具有文化能力的精神卫生专业人员。了解与寻求老年华人精神卫生服务相关的因素，可能有助于医疗保健提供者制定早期筛查计划和文化敏感的干预措施。
