International Journal for Equity in Health
Volume 18, Issue 1, 2019
The impact of perceived discrimination on depressive symptoms and the role of differentiated social support among immigrant populations in South Korea (Article) (Open Access)
Ra C.K. ,
Huh J. ,
Finch B.K. ,
Cho Y.*
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a
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California Keck, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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b
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California Keck, School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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c
Department of Sociology and Spatial Sciences, Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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d
Department of Health Science and Services, School of Public Health, Seoul National University, 1 Kwanak-ro, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742, South Korea
Abstract
Background: Previous studies demonstrated a positive association between perceived discrimination and mental health problems among immigrants in countries that traditionally host immigrants. Recent trends in international migration show that there has been a significant increase in immigrant populations in East Asian countries. These newer host countries have different social contexts from traditional ones, yet mental health among these immigrants and its relationship to discrimination are under-researched. Thus, this study aimed to examine the association between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms among immigrants in one of the newer host countries, South Korea. Moreover, we investigated if differentiated social support (ethnic, host or other support) serves as a moderator of discrimination for depressive symptoms. Methods: This study used survey data from the 2012 Korean Social Survey on Foreign Residents (N = 1068), restricted to adults 20 years or older. Multiple linear regression models were conducted to estimate the association between perceived discrimination, social support, and depressive symptoms among immigrants in South Korea. Results: Perceived discrimination showed a strong positive association with depressive symptoms among immigrants, and ethnic and host support was directly positively associated with depressive symptoms. Furthermore, ethnic support moderated the effects of perceived discrimination on depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Community-level interventions providing immigrants opportunities to increase social networking members from the same country as well as the native-born in a host country may be helpful resources for improving mental health among immigrants in South Korea. Also, raising awareness of racial discrimination among members in South Korea would be crucial. © 2019 The Author(s).
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https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85059899909&doi=10.1186%2fs12939-019-0910-9&partnerID=40&md5=9e2405c95680f42dc01d1f4568bb6f32
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-019-0910-9
ISSN: 14759276
Original Language: English