Older Korean Americans’ Perceived Burdensomeness to Their Healthcare Partners: An Egocentric Network Assessment

Abstract

Objectives: The objective is to examine how older Korean Americans’ perceived burdensomeness to their healthcare partners is associated with the characteristics of older adult participants ( egos) and their healthcare partners ( alters). Methods:Surveys of 2150 participants in the Study of Older Korean Americans provided ego data. Participants were also asked to list up to three individuals whom they usually asked for help on health-related matters or healthcare use, which generated 3402 alters. Multilevel modeling was conducted to examine the role of the characteristics of egos and alters, as well as their cross-level interactions. Results: Perceived burdensomeness was negatively associated with English-speaking ability and residence in a low Korean density area. Perceived burden was also lowered when emotional support was received from the alters, and this pattern was pronounced among those with multi-comorbidity. Discussion: By identifying older immigrants prone to the sense of burdensomeness, the study suggests strategies to promote their health and healthcare use.