The Mediating Role of Loneliness in the Relation Between Social Engagement and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Korean Americans: Do Men and Women Differ?

Abstract While there is substantial documentation of a positive relationship between objective social engagement and mental health, relatively little is known about how perceived quality of social interactions affects mental health and how men and women differ. Considering the gap, the purpose of this study was to investigate gender difference in how social interactions associate with self-rated mental health in older Korean Americans. Data came from a survey with older Korean Americans aged 60 or over that included 713 men and 1437 women living in five sites (California, New York, Texas, Hawaii, and Florida), conducted during 2017−2018. In multiple regression models run separately for men and women, self-rated mental health on a five-point scale (excellent/very good/good/fair/poor) was regressed on four blocks of variables: socio-demographic characteristics (age, marital status, education, financial status, self-rated health, and region), immigration-related variables (length of stay in the U.S. and acculturation), social engagement (family network, friend network, and activity participation), and perceived quality of social interactions (positive or negative family interactions and negative community interactions). In the final models with all covariates, younger age, more years in education, better physical health, higher levels of acculturation, and more positive family interactions were commonly associated with more positively rated mental health for both men and women. For women, stronger family network and fewer negative family interactions were additional contributors. Results suggest that negative and positive indicators of family interactions differentially affect self-rated mental health for older Korean American men and women.

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The Role of Religiousness/Spirituality and Social Networks in Predicting Depressive Symptoms among Older Korean Americans

Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology ◽

10.1007/s10823-017-9317-5 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 239-254 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yeon-Shim Lee ◽

So-Young Park ◽

Soonhee Roh ◽

Harold G. Koenig ◽

Grace J. Yoo

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Korean Americans ◽

Older Korean Americans

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Saving fall-injured older adults from depressive symptoms: The mediating role of social participation

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3137 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 867-868

Author(s):

Yalu Zhang ◽

Lei Zhang ◽

Jiling Sun ◽

Xinhui Zhang ◽

Jingjing Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Social Participation ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Fixed Effect ◽

Second Primary ◽

Fall Injuries ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Multiple Levels

Abstract Falls are the second primary cause of unintentional injury deaths globally. Prior studies found that fall incidences are associated with depressive symptoms among older adults, which could reversely lead to repeated fall incidences. However, few have investigated the role of social interventions in saving fall-injured older adults from experiencing depressive symptoms among older adults. Using the Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011-2018 data and multiple levels of fixed-effect analysis, this study examined the potential mediating role of social participation in alternating the effect of fall injuries on depressive symptoms. For the first time, this study specified the fall-injured older adults among those who had fall incidences. It also implemented the current literature by removing the bias caused by unobservable confounding variables at provincial and city levels. The descriptive results show that 22.2% and 20.6% of rural (n=4,972) and urban (n=3,258) older adults (65+), respectively, experienced fall incidences, among whom 45.1% needed one or more times of medical treatment. The fixed-effect results show that for urban older adults, social participation accounted for partial effects (17.2%) of fall injuries on their depressive symptoms. For rural older adults, fall injuries are significantly associated with more depressive symptoms, but social participation no longer functions as the mediator. Findings from this study emphasize the necessity of collecting efforts from multiple levels to improve the social engagement of urban older adults who had fall injuries. Future studies could further specify what types of social participation would be more helpful in buffering the intervention effects.

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Cognitive health risks posed by social isolation and loneliness in older Korean Americans

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-021-02066-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuri Jang ◽

Eun Young Choi ◽

Nan Sook Park ◽

David A. Chiriboga ◽

Lei Duan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Health Risks ◽

Korean Americans ◽

Cognitive Health ◽

Subjective Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mediating Role ◽

The Relationship ◽

Older Korean Americans

Abstract Background This study examines associations among social isolation, loneliness, and cognitive health risks in older Korean Americans, focusing on the mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between social isolation and objective and subjective measures of cognitive impairment. Methods Data are from 2061 participants in the Study of Older Korean Americans, a multi-state survey of Korean immigrants age 60 and older (Mage = 73.2, SD = 7.93). Social isolation was indexed with the Lubben Social Network Scale− 6; loneliness, with the short-form UCLA Loneliness Scale. Objective and subjective measures of cognitive impairment included the Mini-Mental State Examination and a single-item self-rating of cognitive health. Results In the logistic regression model for objective cognitive impairment, social isolation was significantly associated, but loneliness was not. In the model for subjective cognitive impairment, both social isolation and loneliness were significant factors. However, the effect of social isolation became non-significant when loneliness was considered, suggesting a potential mediating role of loneliness. The subsequent mediation analysis confirmed that the indirect effect of social isolation on subjective cognitive impairment through loneliness was significant (B = .20, SE = .03, 95% CI = .12, .28). Conclusion Our analyses provide evidence for the proposed mediating effect of loneliness in the relationship between social isolation and subjective cognitive impairment. Intervention efforts should focus on reducing feelings of loneliness experienced by older immigrants, possibly by engaging them in socially meaningful and cognitively stimulating activities.

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Supplemental Material for Longitudinal Association Between School Climate and Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Psychological Suzhi

School Psychology ◽

10.1037/spq0000374.supp ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

School Climate ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Longitudinal Association

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Co-Rumination and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: Prospective Associations and the Mediating Role of Brooding Rumination

Journal of Youth and Adolescence ◽

10.1007/s10964-021-01412-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (5) ◽

pp. 1003-1016

Author(s):

Margot Bastin ◽

Koen Luyckx ◽

Filip Raes ◽

Patricia Bijttebier

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Mediating Role

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Maternal depressive symptoms and children's academic performance: sex differences in the mediating role of school experiences

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720004298 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Marilyn N. Ahun ◽

Lamprini Psychogiou ◽

Frédéric Guay ◽

Michel Boivin ◽

Richard E. Tremblay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

School Engagement ◽

School Experiences ◽

Maternal Depressive Symptoms ◽

Reading And Writing ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Writing Scores

Abstract Background Maternal depressive symptoms (MDSs) are negatively associated with children's academic performance, with stronger effects sometimes reported in boys. However, few studies have tested the mechanisms of this association. We examined the mediating role of school engagement and peer victimization in this association and tested for sex differences. Methods Participants were 1173 families from a population-based longitudinal Canadian study. MDSs were self-reported annually using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (child's age: 5 months to 5 years). Data on mediators (peer victimization, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional school engagement) were reported annually from ages 6–10 by multiple informants including children, parents, and teachers using items from validated scales. Mathematics, reading, and writing exam scores at age 12 were obtained from standardized exams administered by Québec's Ministry of Education and Teaching. Structural equation modeling was used to test mediation by school experiences in boys and girls. Results Exposure to MDSs was negatively associated with mathematics, reading, and writing scores in girls and with mathematics only in boys. Cognitive and behavioral engagement significantly mediated the association between MDSs and mathematics, reading, and writing scores in girls. There were no significant mediators for boys. Conclusions Prevention and intervention strategies aiming to improve school engagement might be beneficial for daughters of mothers experiencing depressive symptoms. Further research is needed to replicate these findings and to identify the mechanisms explaining this association in boys.

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Inhibitory control mediates the interaction between serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and peer victimization on adolescent depressive symptoms

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-94267-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xiaonan Lin ◽

Yanmiao Cao ◽

Linqin Ji ◽

Wenxin Zhang

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Serotonin Transporter ◽

Serotonin Transporter Gene ◽

Transporter Gene ◽

Chinese Han ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

AbstractMany efforts have been devoted to investigating the effect of the interaction between the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and environment (G × E) on depression, but they yield mixed results. The inconsistency has suggested that G × E effects may be more complex than originally conceptualized, and further study is warranted. This study explored the association among 5-HTTLPR, peer victimization and depressive symptoms and the underlying mediating role of inhibitory control in this association. A total of 871 Chinese Han adolescents (Mage = 15.32 years, 50.3% girls) participated and provided saliva samples from which the 5-HTTLPR was genotyped. This study found that 5-HTTLPR interacted with peer victimization in predicting depressive symptoms. Adolescents carrying L allele reported more depressive symptoms than SS carriers when exposed to higher level of peer victimization. Furthermore, adolescents’ inhibitory control deficits mediated the association between 5-HTTLPR × peer victimization and depressive symptoms. These findings suggested that one pathway in which G × E may confer vulnerability to depressive symptoms is through disruptions to adolescents’ inhibitory control system.

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Pain intensity and physical performance among individuals with fibromyalgia in mid-to-late life: The influence of depressive symptoms

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/13591053211009286 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 135910532110092

Author(s):

Dylan G Serpas ◽

Laura Zettel-Watson ◽

Barbara J Cherry

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Pain Intensity ◽

Physical Performance ◽

Walk Test ◽

Mediation Analyses ◽

Mediating Role ◽

6 Minute Walk Test ◽

The Relationship ◽

Minute Walk

This study investigated the mediating role of depressive symptoms among 147 middle-aged and older adults with FM in the relationship between pain intensity and 4 objective measures of physical performance: Fullerton Advanced Balance scale (FAB), 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), 30-Second Chair Stand (30SCS), and 8-Foot Up and Go Test (8FUPGT). Asymptotic mediation analyses revealed that depressive symptoms fully mediated the relationship between pain intensity and FAB (95% CI [−0.40, −0.10]) and 8FUPGT (CI [0.02, 0.11]) and partially mediated the relationship to 6MWT (CI [−9.15, −2.20]) and 30SCS (CI [−0.29, −0.06]). Findings support the evaluation of co-morbid depression in FM.

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