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Immigrant mental health issues, especially depression in relation to discrimination and acculturation, are reported to be serious problems in the United States. The current study examines the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Korean immigrants in New York City (NYC) and its relation to self-reported discrimination and acculturation. A sample of 304 Korean immigrants residing in NYC completed a survey utilizing the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale—Korean version, Discrimination Scale, and Acculturation Stress Scale. Results indicated that 13.2% of the sample population demonstrated some symptoms of depression and that variable such as living alone, marital status, education, years in US and income impact high depression scores. Results also indicate that higher self-reported exposure to discrimination and lower self-reported language proficiency were related to higher depressive symptoms. In a regression analysis, discrimination and English language proficiency were significant predictors of depression, but acculturation stress was not significantly related to depression.

This study adapted Andersen’s Health Belief Model to examine the predictors of mental health services utilization among Korean American (KA) immigrants. A cross-sectional survey was used to gather data on 363 KA immigrants 18 years and older residing in New York City. Predisposing factors included gender, age, marital status, education, length of stay in the US, and religion; the need factor was depression; and enabling factors included health insurance, English proficiency, income, and perceived need for help. Approximately 8.5 % of participants reported having utilized mental health services, while 23 % reported having depressive symptoms. Shorter duration of residence in the US, lower income, and the presence of perceived need for help were significantly related to use of mental health services. The perceived need for help mediated the relationship between depression and mental health service utilization. Failure to perceive the need for psychological help continues to be a major reason that KA immigrants do not use mental health services.

The present study examined the relationships between acculturation gap, interparental conflict, parent-child conflict, perceived parental sacrifice, engagement coping, and disengagement coping on levels of depression among Korean American youth of immigrant parent(s). The study utilized a cross sectional survey design. Data were collected from Korean ethnic churches in New Jersey and a youth enrichment program based in New York. A total sample was comprised of 340 participants between the ages of 12 and 18. The study questionnaire was comprised of Center for Epidemiological Studies- Depression (CES-D) scale, Acculturative Family Distancing scale (AFD), Parental Sacrifice scale, Asian American Family Conflict scale (FCS), and Children’s Perception of Inter-parental Conflict scale (CPIC). Multiple regression analyses found that acculturation gap due to incongruent cultural values, interparental conflict and disengagement coping were the strongest predictors of depressive symptoms. Multiple mediation analyses using ordinary least squares (OLS) path analyses found the parent-child conflict and inter-parental conflict partially mediated the relationships between acculturation gap and depressive symptoms, but the mediation held only for girls. Gender differences in the mediation model suggest that family conflicts may be a greater risk factor for depression among Korean American female adolescents. Findings from this study provide important information for social work practitioners and other mental health providers to closely examine key aspects of acculturation gap, family functioning, and coping strategies when working with depressed Koran American adolescents.