The Role of Self-Rated Mental Health in Seeking Professional Mental Health Services among Older Korean Immigrants

Authors

Yuri Jang, University of Southern California
David A. Chiriboga, University of South Florida
Nan Sook Park, University of South FloridaFollow
Hyunwoo Yoon, Portland State UniversityFollow
Yong Ju Cho, University of Southern California
Seunghye Hong, University of Hawai'i, Manoa
Sanggon Nam, Azusa Pacific University
Min-Kyoung Rhee, University of Southern California
Kunsook S. Bernstein, City University of New York
Miyong T. Kim, University of Texas at AustinFollow

Sponsor

Data collection was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (R01AG047106; PI: Yuri Jang, Ph.D.). Dr. Seunghye Hong’s work on the manuscript was partially supported by the Core University Program for Korean Studies through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Studies Promotion Service of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2015-OLU-2250005).

Published In

Aging & Mental Health

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

4-2020

Abstract

Objectives: The gap between mental health needs and service use in racial/ethnic minorities continues to be a major public health concern. Focusing on older Korean immigrants, the present study examined linkages among mental distress, self-rated mental health (SRMH), and the use of professional mental health services. We hypothesized that SRMH would play a mediating role in the relationship between mental distress and the use of professional mental health services.

Method: Using data from the Study of Older Korean Americans (SOKA; N = 2,150, Mean age = 73.4), the direct and indirect effect models were tested.

Results: Nearly 30% of the sample fell within the category of experiencing mental distress, but only a small proportion (5.7%) had used professional mental health services. Supporting our hypothesis, the pathway from mental distress to the use of professional mental health services was influenced by an individual’s subjective perception of mental health status: the indirect effect of mental distress on service use through SRMH (.04 [.01]) was significant (bias-corrected 95% confidence interval for the indirect effect = .02, .06).

Conclusion: The findings of this study not only contribute to our understanding of help-seeking processes in a group at high mental health risk but also suggest avenues to promote their use of mental health services.

Description

Copyright © 2020 Informa UK Limited

Locate the Document

http://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2020.1758908

DOI

10.1080/13607863.2020.1758908

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33226

Citation Details

Jang, Y., Chiriboga, D. A., Park, N. S., Yoon, H., Cho, Y. J., Hong, S., ... & Kim, M. T. (2020). The role of self-rated mental health in seeking professional mental health services among older Korean immigrants. Aging & Mental Health, 1-6.