Psychology of Asian American Older Adults: Status, Challenges, and Strengths

Author(s):  
Ailee Moon ◽  
Inju Cho
Keyword(s):  
Author(s):  
Sou Hyun Jang ◽  
Emily V R Brown ◽  
Eun Jeong Lee ◽  
Linda K Ko

Abstract Asian Americans have the lowest rate of awareness about hypertension, including controlled hypertension, among all racial/ethnic groups in the USA. A high proportion of Asian American older adults have limited English proficiency (LEP) and hypertension. This study adapted the Check. Change. Control. (CCC) program, a community-based intervention for hypertension control delivered in a face-to-face group setting, to phone-based delivery and evaluated the acceptability of the program among Asian American older adults with LEP. Thirteen participants received phone-based educational sessions on hypertension control over 4 months. After 4 months of interventions, we interviewed the 13 Asian American older adults and 4 counselors to examine the acceptability of the adapted CCC program. Both Asian American older adults and counselors found the phone-based delivery of the CCC program to be acceptable, and some participants recommended holding an in-person meeting before telephone delivery to review the program content and clarify information. Future study needs to explore the effectiveness of the phone-based delivery of the program on blood pressure management among larger groups of Asian American older adults.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 328-328
Author(s):  
Simona Kwon ◽  
Deborah Min ◽  
Stella Chong

Abstract Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial and ethnic minority group in the United States, whose population is aging considerably. Previous studies indicate that social isolation and loneliness disproportionately affects older adults and predicts greater physical, mental, and cognitive decline. A systematic literature review using PRISMA guidelines was conducted to address this emerging need to understand the scope of research focused on social isolation and loneliness among the disparity population of older Asian Americans. Four interdisciplinary databases were searched: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and AgeLine; search terms included variations on social isolation, loneliness, Asian Americans, and older adults. Articles were reviewed based on six eligibility criteria: (1) research topic relevance, (2) study participants aged >60 years, (3) Asian immigrants as main participants, (4) conducted in the United States, (5) published between 1995-2019, and (6) printed in the English language. The search yielded 799 articles across the four databases and 61 duplicate articles were removed. Abstracts were screened for the 738 remaining studies, 107 of which underwent full-text review. A total of 56 articles met the eligibility criteria. Synthesis of our review indicates that existing research focuses heavily on Chinese and Korean American immigrant communities, despite the heterogeneity of the diverse Asian American population. Studies were largely observational and employed community-based sampling. Critical literature gaps exist surrounding social isolation and loneliness in Asian American older adults, including the lack of studies on South Asian populations. Future studies should prioritize health promotion intervention research and focus on diverse understudied Asian subgroups.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S515-S516
Author(s):  
Lan Doan ◽  
Yumie Takata ◽  
Karen Hooker ◽  
Carolyn Mendez-Luck ◽  
and Veronica L Irvin

Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for Asian American (AA), Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (NHPI) older adults, and AAs/NHPIs have not enjoyed decreases in CVD mortality rates, as have non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). Heterogeneity exists in the prevalence of traditional CVD risk factors for AAs/NHPIs. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) reflect physical and mental burdens beyond clinical burdens, which may help explain discrepant CVD rates and risk factors in AAs/NHPIs. We examined HRQOL among NHW and AA/NHPI Medicare Advantage enrollees with and without a CVD (i.e., coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke) using the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey. The sample included 655,914 older adults who were 65 years or older, self-reported as AA/NHPI or NHW, and were enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans in 2011-2015. HRQOL was measured using the Veterans RAND 12-item survey and is composed of a physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS), where higher scores reflect better physical and mental health, respectively. Multivariable linear regression was used to explore HRQOL and CVD prevalence. Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Other Asian, and NHPI subgroups had lower overall PCS, and all AA/NHPI subgroups had lower overall MCS, compared to NHWs. Among those reporting having any CVD, PCS varied by CVD outcomes and subgroups, whereas MCS was lower for all CVD outcomes and for all but one AA/NHPI subgroups (Japanese), compared to NHWs. Attention to mental health for AA/NHPI older adults could be important for the equitable realization of healthy aging.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-322
Author(s):  
Othelia E. Lee ◽  
Seungah Ryu

Pride and regret are self-conscious emotions that develop later in life and become a source of emotional struggle. This study examines the content of regret and pride among Asian American elders. Among a convenience sample of 118 Asian American older adults, the researchers examined the contents and intensities of both regret and pride felt over events in life. Across three groups of Asian American immigrants, older adults in this study reported a variety of regrets and pride in the areas of college education, marital relationship, children’s problems, career aspirations, financial difficulty, immigration, and grief or losses that they have experienced in life courses. Findings further explored culture-specific sources of self-conscious emotions, and the intensities of regrets may be strongly influenced by cultural context.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 624-624
Author(s):  
Jason Flatt ◽  
Rachel Whitmer ◽  
Paola Gilsanz

Abstract This study characterizes the mental health of Asian American older adults (aged 60+) who identify as sexual minorities (SM or lesbian, gay, bisexual) and compare to their non-Asian American and non-SM counterparts. Data were from the Research Program on Genes, Environment and Health (Aged 60+; N=185,478), a representative sample of healthcare members from Northern California. It includes SM (N=447) and heterosexual/non-SM (N=15,772) older adults who identify as Asian American (Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and South Asian) and non-Asian American SM (N=3,890). Rates of dementia, anxiety, and PTSD were similar for both SM and non-SM Asian Americans. However, older lesbian and gay Asian Americans were more likely to have a depression diagnosis (30% vs. 18%, p=0.002) compared to non-SM. Overall, mental health outcomes were lower for Asian American SM compared to non-Asian American SM. We discuss need for understanding protective factors for mental health and implications for future interventions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tornia Anderson-Morgan ◽  
Melissa Fett ◽  
Michelle Jasso ◽  
Aisha Moten ◽  
Elgloria Harrison

The University of the District of Columbia is a partner of the Northeast Hatch Multistate Research Collaborative. This research project, known as the UDC NE 1439, was designed as a pilot study to determine the barriers that prevented the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains among older adults in Wards 5, 7, and 8 in the District of Columbia (DC). The residents of these wards have been shown to have higher rates of chronic diseases. Data shows that Ward 7 has the highest rate of deaths due to diabetes. Furthermore, Wards 5, 7, and 8 have the highest percentage of hypertension and diabetes This project used a quantitative and qualitative survey instrument, which included 53 questions and/or statements using a Likert scale: demographics (8 questions); household information (2 questions); shopping habits (8 questions); eating habits, including the identity of the person who prepared meals in the home (21 questions); physical fitness (11 questions); and policy (3 questions). Ninety-six (96) older adults participated in the survey, with a gender distribution of 77% female (68 individuals), 22% male (24 individuals), and 1% not reported (1 individual). The racial distribution of the participants was 91% (87) African American, .01% (one) Asian American, .01% (one) Caucasian, .01% (one) Native American, and .03% (three) others/not reported. Additionally, according to the participants’ residency results, Ward 5 accounted for 23% of the participants (24 participants), Ward 7 for 38% (33 participants), and Ward 8 for 38% (33 participants). The participants’ average age was ≥ 56, (45 to 76 and over) and most were the primary financial supporters of their households and the primary grocery shoppers in their families. In conclusion, this project determined that access to fresh fruits and vegetables and travel time to a full-service grocer were less prominent barriers; this was an unexpected finding. Though the participants indicated sufficient access to fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, they lacked nutrition-based knowledge. Many of them viewed unfitting food choices as healthy. An intervention centered on nutrition education using food demonstrations and grocer tours would improve nutrition knowledge in this population. This offered these nutrition and dietetics research assistants with an opportunity to provide nutrition education to the population in question. Moreover, it presents an opportunity to extend nutrition education to all seniors across the Washington, DC region. KEYWORDS: Fruits; Vegetables; Whole Grains; Urban; Disease; African American; Health; Nutrition; Food Security; Food Desert, Senior Citizens


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