Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology

, Volume 30, Issue 2, pp 131–141 | Cite as

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

  • Yuri Jang
  • Nan Sook Park
  • David A. Chiriboga
  • Hyunwoo Yoon
  • Sok An
  • Miyong T. Kim
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
First Online:

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.

Keywords

Ethnic community Social capital Depressive symptoms Older Korean immigrants 
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Notes

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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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  • Yuri Jang
    • 1
  • Nan Sook Park
    • 2
  • David A. Chiriboga
    • 3
  • Hyunwoo Yoon
    • 1
  • Sok An
    • 1
  • Miyong T. Kim
    • 4
  1. 1.School of Social WorkThe University of Texas at AustinAustinUSA
  2. 2.School of Social WorkUniversity of South FloridaTampaUSA
  3. 3.Department of Child and Family StudiesUniversity of South FloridaTampaUSA
  4. 4.School of NursingThe University of Texas at AustinAustinUSA

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