Prevalence and Predictors of Depression and Anxiety among Korean Americans

ABSTRACT

Despite the significant growth of the Asian population in the United States, current knowledge on their mental health and service utilization behaviors is very limited. The study examined the prevalence and predictors of depression and anxiety among Korean Americans in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. A total of 602 Koreans completed a self-administered survey on physical and mental well-being, and the study found that 18.2% and 16.9% of the participants had severe symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively. Acculturative stress and perceived social support were common predictors for depression and anxiety, and the effects of demographic factors were minimal.

KEYWORDS:

• Korean American
• immigrant
• mental health
• depression
• anxiety

Acknowledgment

The author also would like to thank Mr. Young Min Kim at the Korean Community Service Center of Greater Washington for his assistance in recruiting study participants and administering questionnaires.

Notes

1. The participants’ response to this item was reverse coded because the response, yes, implied no acculturative stress.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The Lois and Samuel Silberman Fund in The New York Community Trust (Grant Number P13-000539).