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Social Capital in Ethnic Communities and Mental Health: A Study of Older Korean Immigrants

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Abstract

This study examined how social capital in ethnic communities (e.g., social cohesion, community support, community participation, and negative interaction) influences depressive symptoms of older Korean immigrants. Using survey data from 209 participants in Central Texas (M age  = 69.6, SD = 7.50), hierarchical regression models of depressive symptoms were examined with the following sets of predictors: (1) demographics, (2) physical health, (3) sociocultural factors, and (4) ethnic community factors. After controlling for the multiple sets of individual-level variables previously known to be important predictors of mental health, ethnic community factors made a substantial contribution. Higher levels of depressive symptoms were observed among individuals who received lower levels of community support (β = −0.14, p < 0.05), had limited participation in ethnic community events and activities (β = −0.15, p < 0.05), and reported more frequent negative interactions with ethnic community members (β = 0.12, p < 0.05). Findings highlight the importance of social capital in ethnic communities and hold implications for improving older ethnic immigrants’ mental well-being.

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Notes

  1. Due to the small number of individuals who were divorced or never married (less than 5 % of the total sample), marital status was dichotomized (married or unmarried). About 12 % of the sample was living alone. Living arrangement was highly correlated with marital status (r = 0.59, p < 0.001); therefore, it was not included in the analysis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the St. David’s Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research (CHPR) Pilot Grant Program (#30-2142-4351, PI-Yuri Jang, PhD).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 1925 San Jacinto Blvd., D 3500, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Yuri Jang, Hyunwoo Yoon & Sok An

  2. School of Social Work, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Nan Sook Park

  3. Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    David A. Chiriboga

  4. School of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Miyong T. Kim

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  1. Yuri Jang
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  2. Nan Sook Park
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  3. David A. Chiriboga
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Correspondence to Yuri Jang.

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Jang, Y., Park, N.S., Chiriboga, D.A. et al. Social Capital in Ethnic Communities and Mental Health: A Study of Older Korean Immigrants. J Cross Cult Gerontol 30, 131–141 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-015-9258-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-015-9258-9

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