Abstract
In the present study, we examined self-rated health as a mediator between physical health conditions (chronic diseases and functional disability) and depressive symptoms in older Chinese and Korean Americans. Using harmonized data (N = 5,063) from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly (PINE) and the Study of Older Korean Americans (SOKA), we tested direct and indirect effect models. In both groups, chronic diseases and functional disability were closely associated with negative ratings of health and symptoms of depression. Analyses with the PROCESS macro showed that the effect of chronic diseases and functional disability on depressive symptoms was mediated by self-rated health in both groups; the indirect effect was greater in the Korean American sample than in the Chinese American sample. These findings contribute to the understanding of the psychological mechanisms that underlie the mind–body connection and highlight the potential importance of subjective health assessment as a useful tool for health promotion.
Highlights
Over the past few decades, an extensive literature has demonstrated the linkage between physical health conditions and mental well-being in the later years of life
Using the PROCESS macro [30, 31], we examined the hypothesized mediation of self-rated health and potential ethnic differences
Compared with the Chinese American sample, the Korean American sample was younger and included more women and those who were not married, with higher education and more years in the U.S Both samples were comparable in number of chronic diseases
Summary
Over the past few decades, an extensive literature has demonstrated the linkage between physical health conditions and mental well-being in the later years of life. Self-rated health as a mediator between physical health conditions and depressive symptoms. (PINE, R01AG042318, PI: XinQi Dong, MD) was supported by the National Institute on Aging. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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