Abstract
Using a sample of Korean American elders, this study examined internal mechanisms by which the level of acculturation influences mental health outcomes. We hypothesized that the impact of five domains of acculturation on mental distress (depressive symptoms and anxiety) would be mediated by individuals' subjectively appraised acculturative stress. The latter was indexed by measures of task-oriented and emotion-oriented stress. The results from structural equation modeling with 472 Korean American elders in Florida (M age=69.9, SD=7.04) provided support for the mediation model. Findings demonstrate that acculturation exerts an influence on mental health and that acculturative stress functions as a mediator in the linkage between the level of acculturation and mental distress. Findings suggest avenues for facilitating immigrant elders' positive adaptation and promoting their mental well-being.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 14-21 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Journals of Gerontology - Series B Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences |
| Volume | 65 B |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2010 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The project was partially supported by the National Institute on Aging Research Grant Program ( 1R03 AG 26332-01 ).
Keywords
- Acculturation
- Korean American elders
- Mediation
- Mental distress
