Depression among Korean, Korean American, and Caucasian American Family Caregivers

Abstract

This study compared depressive symptoms among Korean, Korean American, and Caucasian American female family caregivers of older persons with dementia. The sample included Korean caregivers living in Seoul, Korea (KK); Korean American (KA) caregivers living in the Chicago and Los Angeles areas; and Caucasian American (CA) caregivers from the Chicago metropolitan area. KK caregivers were more likely to be daughters-in-law, KA caregivers were more likely to be daughters, and CA caregivers were more likely to be wives or daughters. Overall, wives were more depressed than daughters and daughters-in-law. KK caregivers were the most depressed of the three cultural groups. When caregiver relationship and cultural group were examined simultaneously, KK and KA wives were most depressed, and KA daughters-in-law were least depressed. Differences in culture and social role appeared to affect depressive symptoms among these caregivers. The findings suggest a need to further examine the associations between caregivers' relationships with their care recipients and their own emotional status. Keywordscross-cultural comparisons; depressive symptoms; caregiver relationships; family caregiving; Korean caregivers; Korean American caregivers; Caucasian American caregivers In the 10-year period between 1990 and 2000, the number of Korean Americans (KAs) in the United States increased by nearly 35%, from 797,304 to 1,076,872 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). As the number of KAs in the United States increases, the number of older Korean Americans will also increase, and the number of older persons who suffer from dementia may increase as well. However, little information is available about KA elders with dementia and their family caregivers.The literature has consistently noted that in the United States, family caregivers of older persons with dementia are at high risk for negative mental health outcomes, such as depression and anxiety (Pearlin, Mullan, Semple, & Skaff, 1990; Schulz, O'Brien, Bookwala, & Fleissner, 1995;Stommel, Given, & Given, 1990). Recent caregiver research also suggests that these poorer mental health outcomes may be associated with changes in caregiver physical health. One recent study found that among caregivers who were stressed, mortality rates were 63% higher than among those who were not stressed (Schulz & Beach, 1999). Fewer studies have addressed these issues from a cross-cultural perspective.Family caregiving by Koreans in Korea (KK) and by KAs might be expected to differ from caregiving by Euro-American descendants in the United States because of the different attitudes, norms, practices, and expectations for caregiving in traditional Korean culture. Studies have consistently found that KK caregivers were more likely to be female, younger, married, and sharing a household with their ill family member than American caregivers, and these differences may have resulted from different cultural practices or expectations about caregiving (Choi, 1993;Lee & Sung, 1997;Sung, 1994;Youn, Knight, Jeong, & Benton, ...

The Influence of Culture on the Experiences of Korean, Korean American, and Caucasian-American Family Caregivers of Frail Older Adults: A Literature Review

“…The two studies reported similar findings in that Korean caregivers showed the highest levels of depression, followed by Korean American caregivers, and then Caucasian caregivers who showed the lowest levels of depression (E. E. Lee & Farran, 2004;Youn et al, 1999).…”

“…Negative Emotional Responses: Two studies compared depression among the three groups using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale (E. E. Lee & Farran, 2004;Youn et al, 1999). The two studies reported similar findings in that Korean caregivers showed the highest levels of depression, followed by Korean American caregivers, and then Caucasian caregivers who showed the lowest levels of depression (E. E. Lee & Farran, 2004;Youn et al, 1999).…”

“…Lee & Sung, 1997, 1998Youn et al, 1999). In contrast, the five studies that included Caucasian Americans and/or Korean Americans reported that the spouses or the daughters were most often primary caregivers among both groups (E. E. Lee & Farran, 2004;Y. Lee & Sung, 1997, 1998Watari & Gatz, 2004;Youn et al, 1999).…”

“…Six studies compared Caucasian American caregivers with Korean American caregivers and/or Korean caregivers: three of them compared the three groups of Korean, Korean American and Caucasian American caregivers (Knight et al, 2002; E. E. Lee & Farran, 2004;Youn, Knight, Jeong, & Benton, 1999); two studies compared Korean caregivers with Caucasian American caregivers (Y. Lee & Sung, 1997, 1998; and one study explored differences between Korean American and Caucasian American caregivers (Watari & Gatz, 2004).…”

“…In four studies including Korean caregivers, the major primary caregivers for Korean elders were daughters-in-law ranging from 50% to 79.5% (E. E. Lee & Farran, 2004;Y. Lee & Sung, 1997, 1998Youn et al, 1999).…”