A systematic review of correlates of depression among older Chinese and Korean immigrants: what we know and do not know

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Guided by the stress and coping theory, this study provides a systematic review of existing research on acculutration, family support, and social support related correlates of depression among older Chinese and Korean immigrants in the United States.

Method: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in CINAHL Plus, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, AgeLine, Social Work Abstracts, PubMed, PsychINFO, and Social Science Citation Index databases to identify relevant articles that presented multivariate analysis results.

Results: A total of 55 articles were identified, with the vast majority focusing on older Korean immigrants. The overall evidence showed that length of residence was largely unrelated to depression, and poor Enligsh proficiency also had a weak correlation with depression. However, a low level of acculturation measured by multidimensional scales was consistently associated with more depressive symptoms. Overall, living arrangements and the size and frequency of contact of both kin and non-kin networks were weak correlates of depression. In contrast, negative family and social interactions seem to be more consequential for depression in the two groups than positive relations and support.

Conclusion: The findings show that established acculturation instruments are useful tools to identify at-risk older Chinese and Korean immigrants. Future studies need to further examine which aspects of acculturation experience are more influential for immigrants’ mental health. Although often conceptualized as important coping resources, family and social networks could present significant stressors for older immigrants. Future research and services could focus on these contexts to improve the mental health of these two rapidly increasing Asian populations.

KEYWORDS:

• Depression
• family support
• social support
• Asian Americans
• immigrants

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.