Immigration-Related Factors and Depression Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Older Chinese Americans.

OBJECTIVES: Asian Americans have the lowest mental health service utilization rate among all racial/ethnic groups. This study investigates how immigration-related factors shape the depression help-seeking behaviors of older Chinese Americans.

METHODS: Data were collected from participants who reported experiencing any depressive symptoms in the Population-based Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago ( n  = 907). Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to examine the associations between immigration-related factors and help-seeking behaviors, including not seeking help (23.5%), seeking help from informal source(s) only (40%), seeking help from both informal and formal sources (28.7%), and seeking help from formal source(s) only (8.8%).

RESULTS: Older Chinese Americans with lower levels of acculturation (OR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.79-0.97) and those who lived in Chinatown (OR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.21-4.52) were more likely to seek help from formal sources only (relative to not seeking any help).

CONCLUSIONS: Older Chinese Americans with depressive symptoms predominately relied on informal sources of help, either solely or in combination with formal sources, to address their depressive symptoms.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Leveraging informal support networks and ethnicity-specific resources represents a promising approach for this population.