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Depression, Depression Literacy, and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Korean Americans: A Preliminary Investigation

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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 socio-demographic 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.

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Acknowledgements

The research team would like to acknowledge the participants involved in this study who shared their valuable information with us. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR002384. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hunter College, School of Nursing, City University of New York, 425 East 25th Street, New York, NY, 10010, USA

    Kunsook Bernstein

  2. School of Nursing At DePaul University, 990 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL, 60614, USA

    Young-Me Lee

  3. College of Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 William T Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA, 02125, USA

    Philmon N. Gona & Sun S. Kim

  4. LaGuardia Community College, 31-10 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, NY, 11101, USA

    ShinHi Han

  5. Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York, 2 West 32nd St. Suite 604, New York, NY, 10001, USA

    Soonsik Kim

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  1. Kunsook Bernstein
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Correspondence to Kunsook Bernstein.

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Bernstein, K., Lee, YM., Gona, P.N. et al. Depression, Depression Literacy, and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Korean Americans: A Preliminary Investigation. J Immigrant Minority Health 23, 547–557 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-01092-5

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