Background: Few current studies explore psychological well-being among older Chinese immigrants in Australia. The study addressed this gap and provided preliminary data on psychological well-being among this group. Four indicators, namely depression, anxiety, loneliness, and quality of life, were used to present a comprehensive picture of psychological well-being. Methods: Participants were two groups of community-dwelling older people, specifically 59 Chinese immigrants and 60 Australian-born people (median age=77 and 73, respectively). Data were collected through standardized interviews. The Geriatric Depression Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale and the WHO Quality of Life questionnaire were used to measure depression, anxiety, loneliness, and quality of life, respectively. Results: Chinese participants' median quality of life score was higher than the scale mid-point, indicating relatively high levels of quality of life. However, 10% exhibited symptoms of depression, 6% had symptoms of anxiety, and 49% felt lonely. Compared to Australian participants, Chinese participants reported poorer quality of life and higher levels of loneliness. Importantly, the difference in quality of life remained when the impact of socio-demographic factors was controlled for. Conclusions: This study was the first to use multiple indicators to explore psychological well-being among older Chinese immigrants in Australia. Its results suggest that their psychological well-being might be worse than that of Australian-born people when using loneliness and quality of life as indicators. In particular, loneliness is a common psychological problem among this group, and there is a need for public awareness of this problem. © Copyright International Psychogeriatric Association 2016.

Depression loneliness Anxiety Older Chinese immigrants Quality of life

anxiety depression immigrant Chinese anxiety disorder Australia Caucasian emotion assessment mental health human epidemiology middle aged population group Asian continental ancestry group statistics and numerical data Population Groups controlled study WHO Quality of Life questionnaire comparative study de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale Aged social support ethnology financial management procedures Geriatric Depression Scale marriage quality of life predictor variable Surveys and Questionnaires Humans migrant psychology Cross-Cultural Comparison life satisfaction male Emigrants and Immigrants female Geriatric Assessment psychological rating scale Psychiatric Status Rating Scales questionnaire cultural factor Article major clinical study Independent Living age psychological well-being Loneliness disease severity Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale quality of life assessment