Asia-Pacific Psychiatry
Volume 8, Issue 1, 2016, Pages 32-43

Screening for depression and anxiety among older Chinese immigrants living in Western countries: The use of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) (Review)

Lin X.* , Haralambous B. , Pachana N.A. , Bryant C. , Logiudice D. , Goh A. , Dow B.
  • a National Ageing Research Institute Ltd, Health Promotion Division, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  • b National Ageing Research Institute Ltd, Health Promotion Division, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  • c The University of Queensland, School of Psychology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • d The Royal Women's Hospital, Centre for Women's Mental Health, Parkville, VIC, Australia, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  • e Royal Melbourne Hospital, Royal Park Campus, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  • f The University of Melbourne, Academic Unit for Psychiatry of Old Age, Kew, VIC, Australia, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Neuropsychiatry Unit, Parkville, VIC, Australia
  • g National Ageing Research Institute Ltd, Health Promotion Division, Parkville, VIC, Australia, The University of Melbourne, Department of Psychiatry, Parkville, VIC, Australia

Abstract

Background: Depression and anxiety are two common mental health problems among older people. There is evidence that using well-validated screening tools can improve detection of depression and anxiety among this group. The review explored the use of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) for screening depression and anxiety among older Chinese immigrants, one of the largest and fastest growing groups of older immigrants in Western society. It focused on the GDS and GAI because both are designed specifically for older people. Methods: Online literature searches were conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. A narrative approach was used to review included papers. Results: A total of 21 articles were included. There were limited data on anxiety among older Chinese immigrants, with only one unpublished report identified. There were 13 studies (20 articles) using the GDS with this group. Results of these studies indicated that the GDS is a reliable tool in this population; however, there was limited validity data. Two versions of the GDS-15 have been used with older Chinese immigrants, including the standard GDS-15 and Mui's GDS-15. Prevalence of depression ranged between 20% and 30% in most reviewed studies. Discussion: Results of this review have practical implications for clinicians in their use of these tools with older Chinese immigrants in Western countries, such as the different GDS versions. It also suggests a number of directions for future research, such as the inclusion of clinical samples and consideration of the diversity within this group. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Author Keywords

Chinese Immigrant Depression older people Anxiety

Index Keywords

anxiety China depression immigrant Chinese Australia mass screening human middle aged priority journal Aged Depressive Disorder Anxiety Disorders ethnology Geriatric Depression Scale Surveys and Questionnaires Humans migrant psychology Emigrants and Immigrants Aged, 80 and over very elderly Review reproducibility Reproducibility of Results questionnaire prevalence Western World anxiety assessment Geriatric Anxiety Inventory
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84958102471&doi=10.1111%2fappy.12191&partnerID=40&md5=d031b0fe6657c87afe54eced403509ec
DOI: 10.1111/appy.12191
ISSN: 17585864
Cited by: 9
Original Language: English