Honors Projects for Social Work

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    Depression and Social Support Among Older Japanese in Long-term Care
    (University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2014-09-26) Underwood, Charna ; Jung Kim, Bum ; Social Work
    Not many studies have researched older Japanese living in Hawaii, even though they are the largest older ethnic group in Hawaii. Due to longer life expectancy and upcoming aging of the baby boomer population, more adults will utilize long-term care services such as nursing homes, Adult Day Care, and other types of services. Depression is a growing concern among older adults and studies found that it relates to lower quality of life (Wada et al., 2004), higher mortality rate (Takeshita et al., 2002), substance abuse (Culberson & Ziska, 2008), and suicide (NPA, 2014). In particular, it is difficult for older Japanese to be diagnosed and treated for depression due to mental health stigma from the Japanese culture. This study examined the relationship between depression and social support in 69 older Japanese in long-term care settings. Convenience sampling was used to get data from retirement communities, care homes, nursing facilities and Adult Day Health Care programs. The results showed that social support significantly correlated with depression. The other factors that strongly correlated with depression in the population sampled were cognitive functioning and IADL. The data from this study can assist social workers and other healthcare professionals in creating better programs to help older Japanese and their families.