Increasing mental health awareness and appropriate service use in older Chinese Americans: A pilot intervention

Abstract Migration and resettlement are major life events that affect immigrants’ functioning and health status. Previous research has well-established the influence of acculturation and family cohesion on Chinese Americans’ mental health and health behavior; however, the moderation effect of family cohesion on the relationship between acculturation and self-rated health – a robust measure of an individual’s general health – has not been examined among this population. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between family cohesion, acculturation, and self-rated health among older Chinese Americans. Data came from a survey of 385 Chinese Americans aged 55 and older living in a large metropolitan area in Southwest America through face-to-face interviews. We used logistic regression to examine the association between acculturation, family cohesion, and self-reported health. In general, acculturation was significantly associated with higher odds of reporting excellent or good health after adjusting for demographic and psychosocial covariates; however, the association between acculturation and self-reported health differed by family cohesion. We found that acculturation was positively associated with self-reported health only among those with medium or high family cohesion, but not among those with low family cohesion. Findings highlighted the significance of involving family members and strengthening family support for providing acculturation services, such as language class and healthy literacy education, to older Americans. Family cohesion needs to be considered by health and mental health care providers for older Chinese Americans to further understand the resources and barriers that influence their health service use and health behaviors.

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Health in the Neighborhood and Household Contexts Among Older Chinese Americans

Journal of Aging and Health ◽

10.1177/0898264316661829 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (8) ◽

pp. 1388-1409 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Fengyan Tang ◽

Ling Xu ◽

Iris Chi ◽

Xinqi Dong

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Older Adults ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Health Indicators ◽

Chinese Americans ◽

Neighborhood Disorder ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Americans

Objective: This study examined the associations of neighborhood characteristics and living arrangements with physical and mental health among older Chinese Americans. Method: A sample of 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults in the Greater Chicago area provided reports of health, socio-demographic characteristics, living arrangements, social cohesion, and neighborhood disorder. We used multinomial logistic, Poisson, and negative binominal regression analyses. Results: Neighborhood disorder was consistently associated with negative health indicators, including poor self-reported health, more chronic conditions, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Findings about the relationships between social cohesion and health indicators were mixed. Social cohesion was more salient to mental health for those living with spouse, children, and/or grandchildren relative to those living with spouse only. Discussion: Policies and interventions are needed to improve the physical and social environments of neighborhoods and to promote healthy aging among Chinese older adults and in the general population as well.

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Self-Rated Health Among Older Chinese Americans: The Roles of Acculturation and Family Cohesion

Journal of Applied Gerontology ◽

10.1177/0733464819898316 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 073346481989831

Author(s):

Kaipeng Wang ◽

Anao Zhang ◽

Fei Sun ◽

Rita X. Hu

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Family Support ◽

Odds Ratio ◽

Family Cohesion ◽

Chinese Americans ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Supportive Services ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Americans

Background: Previous research has established the influence of acculturation and family cohesion on Chinese Americans’ mental health and health behavior; however, the influence of acculturation and family cohesion on self-rated health among this population has not been examined. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between family cohesion, acculturation, and self-rated health among older Chinese Americans. Method: Data came from structured interviews with 385 Chinese Americans aged 55 and older living in a large metropolitan area in Southwest. We used logistic regression to examine the association between acculturation, family cohesion, and self-rated health. Results: Acculturation was positively associated with self-rated health only among those with medium (odds ratio [OR] = 2.27, p < .05) and high (OR = 1.93, p < .05) family cohesion, but not among those with low family cohesion. Discussion: Findings highlight the significance of involving family members and strengthening family support in the acculturation and supportive services provided to older Chinese Americans.

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The Associations Between Sociodemographic Characteristics and Trust in Physician With Immunization Service Use in U.S. Chinese Older Adults

Research on Aging ◽

10.1177/01640275211011048 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 016402752110110

Author(s):

Mengxiao Wang ◽

Mengting Li ◽

XinQi Dong

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Service Use ◽

Chinese Americans ◽

Sociodemographic Factors ◽

Vaccination Rate ◽

Immunization Service ◽

Chinese Older Adults ◽

Management Plans ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Older Chinese Americans

This study investigated sociodemographic factors for immunization care use and the relationship between trust in physician (TIP) and immunization service use in older Chinese Americans. Data were collected through the Population Study of Chinese Elderly, including survey information of 3,157 older adults in the Greater Chicago area. Regression results showed that the odds of getting vaccinated were higher for those who were older, female, and had higher education and income. After adjusting for the covariates, higher TIP was associated with greater immunization service use. The highest tertile of TIP was associated with higher odds of using immunization service ( OR 2.19, 95% CI [1.76, 2.72]), especially for flu and pneumonia vaccines. Findings suggests that immunization service use may be increased by improving TIP and promoting targeted health care management plans for racial/ethnic minorities, which is highly relevant to increase the vaccination rate and contain the pandemic as the COVID-19 vaccine is available.

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Determinants of Advance Directive Completion Among Older Chinese Americans

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1526 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 471-472

Author(s):

Kaipeng Wang ◽

Bei Wu ◽

Fei Sun ◽

Dexia Kong ◽

Yanqin Liu

Keyword(s):

End Of Life ◽

Advance Directive ◽

Service Use ◽

Chinese Americans ◽

Intergenerational Support ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

The Us ◽

Older Chinese ◽

Gap Data ◽

Older Chinese Americans

Abstract Advance Directive (AD) allows older adults to communicate preferred care at the end of life. Numerous studies reported that ethnic minorities were less likely to complete AD then non-Hispanic Whites. However, determinants of AD completion among older Chinese Americans remain unknown. The present study aims to address this knowledge gap. Data came from a survey of 439 Chinese Americans aged from 51 to 103 living in two metropolitan areas in 2018. Participants’ average year was 75 (SD=9.37). About 63% were women and 93% were born outside the US. Approximately 14% of participants completed an AD. Guided by the Andersen’s Service Use Model, we used logistic regression to examine determinants of AD completion. Results show that older age (OR = 1.06, p < 0.01), being employed (OR = 2.63, p < 0.05), acculturation (OR = 2.09, p < 0.001), having US citizenship (OR = 3.57, p < 0.01), and expectation of intergenerational support (OR = 1.84, p < 0.05), were positively associated with AD completion. Physical and mental health needs were not significantly associated with AD completion. This is among the first studies focusing on AD completion among Chinese Americans, one of the fastest growing older minority populations in the US. Findings highlight the influence of socioeconomic and cultural factors on AD completion and illustrates the importance of developing culturally sensitive interventions to promote end-of-life care decision-making among older Chinese Americans.

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