TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and predictors of depression in Korean American elderly
T2 - Findings from the memory and aging study of Koreans (MASK)
AU - Kim, Miyong T.
AU - Kim, Kim B.
AU - Han, Hae Ra
AU - Huh, Boyun
AU - Nguyen, Tam
AU - Lee, Hochang B.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was partially supported by a grant from the American Alzheimer’s Association ( IIRG-08-9137 ) and a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute ( R01 HL085567 ; Clinical Trials Registry NCT00406614). The authors are grateful for substantial editorial assistance provided by Dr. John Bellquist at the Cane Center for Nursing Research, University of Texas at Austin, and additional assistance from Dr. Deborah McClellan. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the American Alzheimer's Association or the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and identify the predictors of depression among community-dwelling Korean American elderly (KAE). Design: A cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological survey using a two-step sampling strategy to obtain a representative community sample. Setting: The authors recruited study participants at religious, service, and business establishments in the KA community (26 churches, 6 senior centers, 2 medical daycare centers, 1 supermarket). Participants: Community-dwelling first-generation KAE (N = 1,118; mean age ±SD: 70.5 ±7.0 years; female: 67.2%). Measurements: Trained bilingual nurses and community health workers interviewed participants face-to-face for demographic information, chronic conditions, and depression using the Korean versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9K). Results: 30.3% of KAEs were classified as having either mild (PHQ-9K score 5e9; N = 218, 19.5%) or clinical depression (PHQ-9K score ≥ N =120, 10.8%), respectively. One of seven KAE (N = 164, 14.7%) endorsed thoughts of death or self-injury, but only 63 (5.7%) reported utilizing mental health services. The authors also identified several predictors of depression, including living arrangement (living alone versus living with family/spouse); having chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, digestive disorders, or chronic bronchitis; years of education; and cognitive impairment. Conclusions: The authors' findings reveal a high prevalence of depression among KAE and a low level of mental health service utilization. Because there are urgent needs for culturally and contextually relevant interventions, the authors also discuss the feasibility of community-based interventions to reduce the burden of depression, which should be incorporated into a management system for multiple chronic conditions.
AB - Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and identify the predictors of depression among community-dwelling Korean American elderly (KAE). Design: A cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological survey using a two-step sampling strategy to obtain a representative community sample. Setting: The authors recruited study participants at religious, service, and business establishments in the KA community (26 churches, 6 senior centers, 2 medical daycare centers, 1 supermarket). Participants: Community-dwelling first-generation KAE (N = 1,118; mean age ±SD: 70.5 ±7.0 years; female: 67.2%). Measurements: Trained bilingual nurses and community health workers interviewed participants face-to-face for demographic information, chronic conditions, and depression using the Korean versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9K). Results: 30.3% of KAEs were classified as having either mild (PHQ-9K score 5e9; N = 218, 19.5%) or clinical depression (PHQ-9K score ≥ N =120, 10.8%), respectively. One of seven KAE (N = 164, 14.7%) endorsed thoughts of death or self-injury, but only 63 (5.7%) reported utilizing mental health services. The authors also identified several predictors of depression, including living arrangement (living alone versus living with family/spouse); having chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis, digestive disorders, or chronic bronchitis; years of education; and cognitive impairment. Conclusions: The authors' findings reveal a high prevalence of depression among KAE and a low level of mental health service utilization. Because there are urgent needs for culturally and contextually relevant interventions, the authors also discuss the feasibility of community-based interventions to reduce the burden of depression, which should be incorporated into a management system for multiple chronic conditions.
KW - Chronic conditions
KW - Depression
KW - Korean American elderly
KW - PHQ-9K
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jagp.2014.11.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jagp.2014.11.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 25554484
AN - SCOPUS:84942788507
SN - 1064-7481
VL - 23
SP - 671
EP - 683
JO - American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
JF - American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
IS - 7
ER -