The Influence of Social Networks and Supports on Depression Symptoms: Differential Pathways for Older Korean Immigrants and Non-Hispanic White Americans.

OBJECTIVES: The current cross-cultural study examines the pathways underlying different formations of social networks and social support systems, which affect depression symptoms among older Korean immigrants and non-Hispanic Whites in the United States.

METHOD: Data for this study came from a panel survey of 223 older Korean American immigrants and 201 non-Hispanic White older adults 65 years of age and older living in Los Angeles. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test the proposed conceptual model designed to explain the direct and indirect relationships between social networks and social support on depression symptoms.

RESULTS: Empirical evidence from this study indicated different effect of one's social networks and social support on depression by race/ethnicity.

DISCUSSION: The work discussed in this article pointed to the need to recognize the role of culture in assessing the relationships between social networks, social support, and health among older adults.