The Social Determinants of Depression in Elderly Korean Immigrants in Canada: Does Acculturation Matter?

Abstract

Depression in old age significantly decreases the quality of life and may lead to serious consequences, such as suicide. Existing literature indicates that elderly Korean immigrants may experience higher levels of depression than other racial ethnic group elders. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate factors that influence depression among older Korean immigrants in Toronto. A total of 148 participants, ages 60 years or older (mean age = 74.01, SD = 8.24), completed face-to-face interviews in Korean language. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted by adding variables in three steps: (1) demographic variables; (2) acculturation variables (years of immigration and English proficiency); and (3) social determinants (social integration variables, physical health, and financial satisfaction). Results showed that acculturation factors were not associated with depression. Instead, social determinants variables, including lower physical health status and lower financial status, living alone, and lower level of social activity, predicted higher level of depressive symptoms, along with lower education. The final regression model explained about 37% of variance of depression in the sample. These results suggest that social determinants, not acculturation, are important factors explaining the levels of depression in Korean immigrant elders living in a metropolitan city in Canada. Implications for practice are discussed.

Socio-demographic and Health Behavioral Correlates of Depressive Symptoms among Korean Americans

“…Inconsistent with other studies on socioeconomic status and depression (Kim & Chen, 2011; McGrath, Keita, Stickland, et al, 1990), KA women reported higher levels of income than KA men in this study. Considering that lower annual household income was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms across gender, KA men would be at higher risk of depressive symptoms than KA women.…”

Depression Among Korean Immigrant Elders Living in Canada and the United States: A Comparative Study

“…The existing literature on depression among Korean immigrant elders reflects two groups of studies with contradicting results. In the first group, acculturation is identified as having a positive effect on mental health (Casado & Leung, 2002;Han, Kim, Lee, Pistulka, & Kim, 2007;Jang & Chiriboga, 2010;Jang et al, 2005;Oh et al, 2002); the second group found no association between acculturation and mental health (W. Kim & Chen, 2011;Kurzeja, Koh, Koh, & Liu, 1986;H. Y. Lee et al, 2004;M.…”

“…The second group of studies was mainly based in metropolitan areas, where more ethnic resources are offered, and there is less need to adjust to the mainstream culture to sustain everyday life. In other words, where the ethnic community is well-developed, and offers psychological and substantial support, the majority of Korean immigrant elders do not necessarily feel acculturative stress (Oh et al, 2002).This may suggest the importance and needs of acculturation are intensified when the sociocultural environment requires acculturation to sustain day-to-day life (W. Kim & Chen, 2011).…”

An Update on Social Activity and Depression in the Elderly: A Brief Review of Recent Findings and Key Issues

“…For recent studies reporting zero-order relationships between depression and social activity (or that provide the data necessary for calculating them), group differences and correlations suggest consistent, small-to medium-sized effects. [8][9][10]12,[14][15][16] Of course, such results do not signify the existence of a causal relationship between social activity and depression but the consistency of the relationships reported continues to support the possibility of viable treatment or preventative approaches.…”

“…Nine recent cross-sectional studies continue to support the existence of a relationship between social activity and depression (see Table 1), such that higher levels of social activity are associated with lower levels of depression. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] This relationship transpires despite differences between studies in how depression and social activity are operationalized. For recent studies reporting zero-order relationships between depression and social activity (or that provide the data necessary for calculating them), group differences and correlations suggest consistent, small-to medium-sized effects.…”