Self-rated mental health in socio-structural contexts: an examination with Korean American older adults.
OBJECTIVE
Following the socio-structural framework of health, the study examined the role of social/interpersonal and environmental/neighborhood factors in predicting self-rated mental health (SRMH) in Korean American older adults.


METHODS
Using the survey data from 420 older Korean Americans (mean age = 71.6, SD = 7.59), multivariate models of SRMH was estimated with sets of predictors: (1) background information (demographic characteristics and chronic conditions), (2) mental health symptom measures (depressive symptoms and anxiety), (3) social/interpersonal factors (social network and filial satisfaction), and (4) environmental/neighborhood factors (neighborhood safety and residential satisfaction).


RESULTS
Social/interpersonal and environmental/neighborhood factors were found to make a significant contribution to the predictive model even after controlling for background information and mental health symptom measures. Those with higher levels of filial satisfaction and more favorable perceptions of neighborhood safety were likely to have positive ratings of SRMH.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings supported the importance of considering socio-structural contexts in the assessment of SRMH and provided implications for mental health services for the target population.
a School of Social Work , The University of Texas at Austin , Austin , TX , USA.
Hyunwoo
H
Yoon
Yuri
Y
Jang
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009519:New York City; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D057566:Self Report; D012931:Social Environment
Korean American older adults; self-rated mental health; socio-structural contexts