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 (Mage = 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.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 9258 |
Pages (from-to) | 131-141 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 26 Jun 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information: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).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
Keywords
- Depressive symptoms
- Ethnic community
- Older Korean immigrants
- Social capital