Depression, Depression Literacy, and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Korean Americans: A Preliminary Investigation
- PDF / 806,557 Bytes
- 11 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 32 Downloads / 148 Views
ORIGINAL PAPER
Depression, Depression Literacy, and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Korean Americans: A Preliminary Investigation Kunsook Bernstein1 · Young‑Me Lee2 · Philmon N. Gona3 · ShinHi Han4 · Soonsik Kim5 · Sun S. Kim3 Accepted: 20 September 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Despite the rapid growth in the number of Korean Americans (KAs) and the alarmingly high prevalence of depression in this population, relatively little is known about the impact of depression literacy on KAs’ depression. This study investigated the prevalence of depressive symptoms among a community-based sample of KA adults; the associations among sociodemographic characteristics, depression literacy, and depressive symptoms; and predictors related to depressive symptoms. A sample of 600 KAs completed depression and depression literacy scales, as well as socio-demographic questionnaires. Data analyses were conducted to assess the association between depressive symptoms, depression literacy, and the covariates. Forty-five percent of participants showed elevated depressive symptoms. Marital status, attained educational level, perceived mental health, and depression literacy were significant predictors of depressive symptoms. Given the high prevalence of depressive symptoms in this population, future research should investigate the causal relationships of various predictors of depression and depression literacy, which will facilitate the development of culturally-appropriate interventions and policies concerning mental health for KAs, and early mental health screening for them. Keywords Depressive symptoms · Depression literacy · Depression prevalence · English proficiency · Korean americans
* Kunsook Bernstein [email protected] Young‑Me Lee [email protected] Philmon N. Gona [email protected] ShinHi Han [email protected] Soonsik Kim [email protected] Sun S. Kim [email protected] 1
Hunter College, School of Nursing, City University of New York, 425 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010, USA
2
School of Nursing At DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL 60614, USA
3
College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 William T Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125, USA
4
LaGuardia Community College, 31‑10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101, USA
5
Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, 2 West 32nd St. Suite 604, New York, NY 10001, USA
Background The World Health Organization (WHO) [1] reported that depression accounts for 4.3% of the global disease burden and was the third leading cause of disability worldwide, accounting for 11% globally of all years lived with disability. It further predicted that by 2030, depression would be the leading cause of disease burden globally. According to a new report from the WHO [2], depression is already the leading cause of disability and ill health worldwide; more than 300 million people are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 20
Data Loading...
