School of Nursing, George Mason University, 22030, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
College of Nursing, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2022 Sep;37(3):295-313. doi: 10.1007/s10823-022-09461-3. Epub 2022 Nov 4.
Despite the high prevalence of depression among older Korean Americans (KAs), there has been very little research on depression literacy among older KAs. This study identified specific areas of improvement in depression literacy to address mental health promotion among KAs. Twenty-two items on the depression literacy scale were grouped under five key themes: incidence and prognosis, differential symptoms, symptom recognition, non-pharmacological effectiveness, and pharmacological knowledge. This study aimed to assess the level of understanding depression literacy based on five domains and identify factors associated with depression literacy and its domains among older KAs.
A cross-sectional study with 178 KAs aged 60 years and older was conducted in the Washington DC Metro area. Interviewer and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with depression literacy and its domains. Statistical significance was set at p < .05 for analyses.
Knowledge pertaining to all 5 depression literacy domains was low, particularly on pharmacological treatment and differential symptoms were noticeably low. The majority of participants had misconceptions about antidepressants. 86% believed that antidepressants can have a rapid effect on symptoms, 82.6% believed people with depression should stop taking antidepressants as soon as they feel better, and 66.3% believed antidepressants were addictive.
Misperception about depression and antidepressants may be associated with poor mental health outcomes among older KAs. Culturally-tailored education for older KAs with limited English proficiency could be beneficial in promoting depression literacy and reducing stigma or misconceptions regarding depression and treatments.
尽管老年韩裔美国人（KAs）中抑郁的患病率很高，但针对老年 KAs 的抑郁知识研究却很少。本研究确定了在抑郁知识方面需要改进的具体领域，以解决 KAs 的心理健康促进问题。抑郁知识量表的 22 个项目分为五个关键主题：发生率和预后、差异症状、症状识别、非药物有效性和药物知识。本研究旨在评估基于五个领域的抑郁知识理解水平，并确定与老年 KAs 的抑郁知识及其领域相关的因素。
在华盛顿特区都会区进行了一项横断面研究，纳入了 178 名年龄在 60 岁及以上的 KAs。使用访谈员和自我管理问卷收集数据。进行多元线性回归分析，以确定与抑郁知识及其领域相关的因素。分析的统计学显著性水平设定为 p<0.05。
与所有 5 个抑郁知识领域相关的知识水平较低，特别是在药物治疗和差异症状方面明显较低。大多数参与者对抗抑郁药存在误解。86%的人认为抗抑郁药可以迅速对症状产生影响，82.6%的人认为抑郁症患者一旦感觉好转就应该停止服用抗抑郁药，66.3%的人认为抗抑郁药会上瘾。
对抑郁症和抗抑郁药的误解可能与老年 KAs 的心理健康不良结局有关。针对英语水平有限的老年 KAs 进行文化上量身定制的教育可能有助于提高抑郁知识水平，并减少对抑郁症和治疗的污名化或误解。
