The Trajectory of Depressive Symptoms Across Years of Community Care Utilization Among Older Adults: A 14-Year Follow-up Study Using the 'Korean Welfare Panel Survey'.

OBJECTIVES: While older adults using community care services are known to be vulnerable for depression, community care utilization (CCU) may help to improve the mental health of these elderly. To date, however, it is much less clear how CCU affects depressive symptoms in the elderly population. This study focuses on the trajectory of depressive symptoms across years of CCU among older adults in Korea. METHODS: Using the 2006-2019 Korean Welfare Panel Survey, this study is focused on elderly born in 1940 or earlier and selected 3281 persons for baseline interviews in 2006. This consisted of 35 800 person-year observations during a period of 14 years. Panel data analysis were employed to construct years of CCU. RESULTS: After controlling for covariates, linear term of years using community care was negatively associated with depressive symptoms, but a quadratic term was positively significant. The trajectory of depressive symptoms across the years of CCU follows a U-shaped curve. Older adults in the first year of using community care reported the highest level of depressive symptoms. However, a significant and steady decrease in depressive symptoms was observed during the following 9 years of CCU, which then gradually increased. The level of depressive symptoms at the 14th year of using community care remains significantly lower than the level at the outset of its utilization. CONCLUSIONS: This finding implies that CCU could be beneficial for improving mental health among older adults.

"Leisure Life Satisfaction:" Will It Have a Beneficial Impact on Depression Among Older Adults in Community Care Settings in Korea?

OBJECTIVES: While the risk of depression is expected to substantially increase among older adults receiving community care, leisure life satisfaction can be regarded as a key component in enhancing the mental health of those receiving community care. However, it is not yet known whether community care utilization increases the risk of depression, or what role is played by leisure life satisfaction in these settings. This study investigated the relationship between community care utilization and depression, as well as the main effect and the moderating role of leisure life satisfaction on the link between community care utilization and depression among older adults. METHODS: This study, using the 2019 Korean Welfare Panel Survey, conducted multiple regression analysis on data from 4494 elderly people aged 65 years or older. RESULTS: After controlling for potential covariates, older community care recipients were more likely to report symptoms of depression than those who did not receive community care. Meanwhile, leisure life satisfaction was negatively associated with depression in older adults. The test for interaction between community care utilization and leisure life satisfaction revealed that leisure life satisfaction significantly attenuated the link between depression and community care utilization. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study imply that leisure life satisfaction could play a meaningful role in improving the mental health of older adults receiving community care. Welfare policies affecting older adults should consider leisure life satisfaction as an important resource for reducing depression in community care settings.

Analysis of the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health demonstrates employment insecurity to be associated with mental illness.

ABSTRACT: A growing number of people depend on flexible employment, characterized by outsider employment and lower levels of job security. This study investigated whether there was a synergistic effect of employment status and job insecurity on mental disorders.This study used data from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health (CCHS) of 13,722 Canada's labor force population aged 20 to 70. Data were collected from January to December, 2012, using computer-assisted personal interviewing. As combining employment status with perceived job insecurity, we formed five job categories: secure full-time, full-time insecure, part-time secure, part-time insecure employment, and unemployment.Results showed that, regardless of employment status (full-time vs part-time), insecure employment was significantly associated with high risk of mental disorders. Furthermore, the odds ratios for insecure employment were similar to those for unemployment. Male workers who are full-time, but with insecure jobs, were more likely to experience mental disorders than female workers.This study's findings imply that while perceived job insecurity may be a critical factor for developing mental health problems among workers, providing effective health care services can mitigate an excessive health risk for the most vulnerable employment, especially for insecure part-time employment and unemployment.

Is Job Insecurity Worse for Mental Health Than Having a Part-time Job in Canada?

OBJECTIVES: A growing number of people depend on flexible employment, characterized by outsider employment status and perceived job insecurity. This study investigated whether there was a synergistic effect of employment status (full-time vs. part-time) and perceived job insecurity on major depressive disorder. METHODS: Data were derived from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health of 12 640 of Canada's labor force population, aged 20 to 74. By combining employment status with perceived job insecurity, we formed four employment categories: full-time secure, full-time insecure, part-time secure, and part-time insecure. RESULTS: Results showed no synergistic health effect between employment status and perceived job insecurity. Regardless of employment status (full-time vs. part-time), insecure employment was significantly associated with a high risk of major depressive disorder. Analysis of the interaction between gender and four flexible employment status showed a gender-contingent effect on this link in only full-time insecure category. Men workers with full-time insecure jobs were more likely to experience major depressive disorders than their women counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: This study's findings imply that perceived job insecurity may be a critical factor for developing major depressive disorder, in both men and women workers.

Non-toxic sulfur inhibits LPS-induced inflammation by regulating TLR-4 and JAK2/STAT3 through IL-6 signaling.

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and STAT3 signaling is considered a major pathway in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)­induced inflammation. Toll­like receptor 4 (TLR­4) is an inflammatory response receptor that activates JAK2 during inflammation. STAT3 is a transcription factor for the pro­inflammatory cytokine IL­6 in inflammation. Sulfur is an essential element in the amino acids and is required for growth and development. Non­toxic sulfur (NTS) can be used in livestock feeds as it lacks toxicity. The present study aimed to inhibit LPS­induced inflammation in C2C12 myoblasts using NTS by regulating TLR­4 and JAK2/STAT3 signaling via the modulation of IL­6. The 3­(4,5­dimethylthiazol­2­yl)­2,5­diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was conducted to analyze cell viability and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting performed to measure mRNA and protein expression levels. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and enzyme­linked immunosorbent assays were used to determine the binding activity of proteins. The results indicated that NTS demonstrated a protective effect against LPS­induced cell death and inhibited LPS­induced expression of TLR­4, JAK2, STAT3 and IL­6. In addition, NTS inhibited the expression of nuclear phosphorylated­STAT3 and its binding to the IL­6 promoter. Therefore, NTS may be a potential candidate drug for the treatment of inflammation.

Thermoelectric and Transport Properties of Permingeatite Cu3SbSe4 Prepared Using Mechanical Alloying and Hot Pressing.

Permingeatite (Cu3SbSe4) is a promising thermoelectric material because it has a narrow band gap, large carrier effective mass, and abundant and nontoxic components. Mechanical alloying (MA), which is a high-energy ball mill process, has various advantages, e.g., segregation/evaporation is not required and homogeneous powders can be prepared in a short time. In this study, the effects of MA and hot-pressing (HP) conditions on the synthesis of the Cu3SbSe4 phase and its thermoelectric properties were evaluated. The electrical conductivity decreased with increasing HP temperature, while the Seebeck coefficient increased. The power factor (PF) was 0.38-0.50 mW m-1 K-2 and the thermal conductivity was 0.76-0.78 W m-1 K-1 at 623 K. The dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, increased with increasing temperature, and a reliable and maximum ZT value of 0.39 was obtained at 623 K for Cu3SbSe4 prepared using MA at 350 rpm for 12 h and HP at 573 K for 2 h.

Highly Flexible Graphene Derivative Hybrid Film: An Outstanding Nonflammable Thermally Conductive yet Electrically Insulating Material for Efficient Thermal Management.

In modern society, advanced technology has facilitated the emergence of multifunctional appliances, particularly, portable electronic devices, which have been growing rapidly. Therefore, flexible thermally conductive materials with the combination of properties like outstanding thermal conductivity, excellent electrical insulation, mechanical flexibility, and strong flame retardancy, which could be used to efficiently dissipate heat generated from electronic components, are the demand of the day. In this study, graphite fluoride, a derivative of graphene, was exfoliated into graphene fluoride sheets (GFS) via the ball-milling process. Then, a suspension of graphene oxide (GO) and GFSs was vacuum-filtrated to obtain a mixed mass, and subsequently, the mixed mass was subjected to reduction under the action hydrogen iodide at low temperature to transform the GO to reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Finally, a highly flexible and thermally conductive 30-µm thick GFS@rGO hybrid film was prepared, which showed an exceptional in-plane thermal conductivity (212 W·m-1·K-1) and an excellent electrical insulating property (a volume resistivity of 1.1 × 1011 Ω·cm). The extraordinary in-plane thermal conductivity of the GFS@rGO hybrid films was attributed to the high intrinsic thermal conductivity of the filler components and the highly ordered filler alignment. Additionally, the GFS@rGO films showed a tolerance to bending cycles and high-temperature flame. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of the GFS@rGO films increased with increasing the rGO content and reached a tensile strength of 69.3 MPa and a Young's modulus of 10.2 GPa at 20 wt % rGO. An experiment of exposing the films to high-temperature flame demonstrated that the GFS@rGO films could efficiently prevent fire spreading. The microcombustion calorimetry results indicated that the GFS@rGO had significantly lower heat release rate (HRR) compared to the GO film. The peak HRR of GFS@rGO10 was only 21 W·g-1 at 323 °C, while that of GO was 198 W·g-1 at 159 °C.

Sulfur Compounds Inhibit High Glucose-Induced Inflammation by Regulating NF-κB Signaling in Human Monocytes.

High glucose-induced inflammation leads to atherosclerosis, which is considered a major cause of death in type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) plays a central role in high glucose-induced inflammation and is activated through toll-like receptors (TLRs) as well as canonical and protein kinase C-dependent (PKC) pathways. Non-toxic sulfur (NTS) and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) are two sulfur-containing natural compounds that can induce anti-inflammation. Using Western blotting, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and flow cytometry, we found that high glucose-induced inflammation occurs through activation of TLRs. An effect of NTS and MSM on canonical and PKC-dependent NF-κB pathways was also demonstrated by western blotting. The effects of proinflammatory cytokines were investigated using a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Our results showed inhibition of the glucose-induced expression of TLR2 and TLR4 by NTS and MSM. These sulfur compounds also inhibited NF-κB activity through reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated canonical and PKC-dependent pathways. Finally, NTS and MSM inhibited the high glucose-induced expression of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α and binding of NF-κB protein to the DNA of proinflammatory cytokines. Together, these results suggest that NTS and MSM may be potential drug candidates for anti-inflammation therapy.

Non­toxic sulfur enhances growth hormone signaling through the JAK2/STAT5b/IGF­1 pathway in C2C12 cells.

Insulin­like growth factor­1 (IGF­1) regulates cell growth, glucose uptake and protein metabolism, and is required for growth hormone (GH) signaling­mediated insulin production and secretion. IGF1 expression is associated with STAT5, which binds to a region (TTCNNNGAA) of the gene. Although sulfur is used in various fields, the toxicity of this element is a significant disadvantage as it causes indigestion, vomiting, diarrhea, pain and migraine. Therefore, it is difficult to conduct in vitro experiments to directly determine the effects of dietary sulfur. Additionally, it is difficult to dissolve non­toxic sulfur (NTS). The present study aimed to identify the role of NTS in GH signaling as a Jak2/STAT5b/IGF­1 pathway regulator. MTT assay was used to identify an optimum NTS concentration for C2C12 mouse muscle cells. Western blotting, RT­PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitation, overexpression and small interfering RNA analyses were performed. NTS was dissolved in 1 mg/ml DMSO and could be used in vitro. Therefore, the present study determined whether NTS induced mouse muscle cell growth via GH signaling. NTS notably increased STAT5b binding to the Igf1 promoter. NTS also promoted GH signaling by upregulating GH receptor expression, similar to GH treatment. NTS enhanced GH signaling by regulating Jak2/STAT5b/IGF­1 signaling pathway factor expression in C2C12 mouse muscle cells. Thus, NTS may be used as a GH­enhancing growth stimulator.

Methylsulfonylmethane inhibits cortisol-induced stress through p53-mediated SDHA/HPRT1 expression in racehorse skeletal muscle cells: A primary step against exercise stress.

Cortisol is a hormone involved in stress during exercise. The application of natural compounds is a new potential approach for controlling cortisol-induced stress. Tumour suppressor protein p53 is activated during cellular stress. Succinate dehydrogenase complex subunit A (SDHA) and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase 1 (HPRT1) are considered to be two of the most stable reference genes when measuring stress during exercise in horses. In the present study cells were considered to be in a 'stressed state' if the levels of these stable genes and the highly stress responsive gene p53 were altered. It was hypothesized that a natural organic sulphur-containing compound, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), could inhibit cortisol-induced stress in racing horse skeletal muscle cells by regulating SDHA, HPRT1 and p53 expression. After assessing cell viability using MTT assays, 20 µg/ml cortisol and 50 mM MSM were applied to horse skeletal muscle cell cultures. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blot analysis demonstrated increases in SDHA, HPRT1 and p53 expression in cells in response to cortisol treatment, which was inhibited or normalized by MSM treatment. To determine the relationship between p53 and SDHA/HPRT1 expression at a transcriptional level, horse gene sequences of SDHA and HPRT1 were probed to identify novel binding sites for p53 in the gene promoters, which were confirmed using a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. The relationship between p53 and SDHA/HPRT1 expression was confirmed using western blot analysis following the application of pifithrin-α, a p53 inhibitor. These results suggested that MSM is a potential candidate drug for the inhibition of cortisol-induced stress in racehorse skeletal muscle cells.

Microbusinesses and Occupational Stress: Emotional Demands, Job Resources, and Depression Among Korean Immigrant Microbusiness Owners in Toronto, Canada.

OBJECTIVES: While occupational stress has long been a central focus of psychological research, few studies have investigated how immigrant microbusiness owners (MBOs) respond to their unusually demanding occupation, or how their unresolved occupational stress manifests in psychological distress. Based on the job demands-resources model, this study compared MBOs to employees with regard to the relationships among emotional demands, job resources, and depressive symptoms. METHODS: Data were derived from a cross-sectional survey of 1288 Korean immigrant workers (MBOs, professionals, office workers, and manual workers) aged 30 to 70, living in Toronto and surrounding areas. Face-to-face interviews were conducted between March 2013 and November 2013. RESULTS: Among the four occupational groups, MBOs appeared to endure the greatest level of emotional demands, while reporting relatively lower levels of job satisfaction and job security; but MBOs reported the greatest job autonomy. The effect of emotional demands on depressive symptoms was greater for MBOs than for professionals. However, an inspection of stress-resource interactions indicated that though MBOs enjoyed the greatest autonomy, the protective effects of job satisfaction and security on the psychological risk of emotional demands appeared to be more pronounced for MBOs than for any of the employee groups. CONCLUSIONS: One in two Korean immigrants choose self-employment, most typically in family-owned microbusinesses that involve emotionally taxing dealings with clients and suppliers. However, the benefits of job satisfaction and security may protect MBOs from the adverse mental health effects of job stress.

Validating a single-question depression measure among older adults.

BACKGROUND: A single-item depression measure may not be adequate in capturing the complex entity of mental health, despite wide use of this indicator in community studies. This study evaluated the accuracy of a single-question depression measure in comparison to two composite indices-the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 800 elderly participants ranging from 60 to 89 years of age and residing in Seoul were recruited using a multistage sampling scheme in 2015. The survey was conducted by trained interviewers with a constructed questionnaire. Reliability and validity measures such as the Kappa index, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and AUC were used to evaluate the accuracy of the single question measure. Socio-demographic group differences in accuracy were compared by age, sex, marital status, education, employment, and financial status. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression by a single-question measure was much lower than those of CESD and GDS (5.5%, 12.3%, and 12.1%, respectively). The sensitivity of the single-item measure, based on CESD and GDS, was extremely low at 30.6% and 36.1%. In the subgroup analysis, however, there was a marked educational discrepancy in all accuracy measures; in sensitivity, people with a university degree or higher showed about 2.4 times higher sensitivity than those having only a primary school education. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that a single-question depression measure should be used with caution. In addition, the single-question measure could substantially underestimate depression among the risk group of older adults.

Facilitators of and Barriers to Gastric Cancer Screening Among Korean Americans.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer is the most highly prevalent cancer among Korean Americans, occurring at a higher rate than among other Asian Americans and non-Latino Whites. However, little is known about the culturally specific barriers to gastric cancer screening among Korean Americans. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore facilitators of and barriers to gastric cancer screening among Korean Americans. METHODS: In this qualitative focus group study, a convenience sample of 50 Korean Americans aged 21 to 75 years was recruited from the Puget Sound area of Washington with the assistance of Korean churches. Five focus groups of 6 to 8 and 1 focus group of 13 were conducted in a church, a café, and an apartment community center. The focus group discussions lasted approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour. Directed content analysis was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Facilitators included exposure to Korean media, history and prevalence of gastric problems, perceptions concerning positive aspects of the healthcare system in South Korea, physician recommendations, technology, and church health fair. Barriers included a lack of knowledge, finance/lack of health insurance, fear of test results, perceptions of an inconvenient American healthcare system, a lack of knowledge of American healthcare providers on culturally related health risks, a dislike of medical procedures, and no preventive measures. CONCLUSIONS: Sociocultural facilitators and barriers add new knowledge in a field with scarce information available. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The study findings lay the groundwork for developing culturally relevant interventions that enhance healthcare providers' awareness while empowering Korean Americans to prevent gastric cancer.

Accuracy of Self-reported Hypertension, Diabetes, and Hypercholesterolemia: Analysis of a Representative Sample of Korean Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: This study will assess the accuracy of self-reported hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia among Korean older adults. METHODS: Using data from the fourth Korean National Health Examination and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES IV, 2007-2009), we selected 7,270 individuals aged 50 years and older who participated in both a health examination and a health interview survey. Self-reported prevalence of hypertension (HTN), diabetes mellitus (DM), and hypercholesterolemia was compared with measured data (arterial systolic/diastolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and total cholesterol). RESULTS: An agreement between self-reported and measured data was only moderate for hypercholesterolemia (κ, 0.48), even though it was high for HTN (κ, 0.72) and DM (κ, 0. 82). Sensitivity was low in hypercholesterolemia (46.7%), but high in HTN and DM (73% and 79.3%, respectively). Multiple analysis shows that predictors for sensitivity differed by disease. People with less education were more likely to exhibit lower sensitivity to HTN and hypercholesterolemia, and people living in rural areas were less sensitive to DM and hypercholesterolemia. CONCLUSION: Caution is needed in interpreting the results of community studies using self-reported data on chronic diseases, especially hypercholesterolemia, among adults aged 50 years and older.

Mediating and Moderating Effects in Ageism and Depression among the Korean Elderly: The Roles of Emotional Reactions and Coping Reponses.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the relationship between ageism and depression, exploring the stress-mediating and stress-moderating roles of emotional reactions and coping behaviors. METHODS: Data were from the 2013 Ageism and Health Study (n = 816), a cross-sectional survey of urban and rural community-dwelling seniors aged 60-89 years in South Korea. Participants with at least one experience of ageism reported on their emotional reactions and coping responses. The measure yielded two types of coping: problem-focused (taking formal action, confrontation, seeking social support) and emotion-focused (passive acceptance, emotional discharge). RESULTS: Although ageism was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (B = 0.27, p < 0.0001), the association was entirely mediated by emotional reactions such as anger, sadness, and powerlessness. Problem-focused coping, especially confrontation and social support, seemingly reduced the impact of emotional reactions on depression, whereas emotion-focused coping exacerbated the adverse effects. CONCLUSION: These findings support the cultural characterization explanation of ageism and related coping processes among Korean elderly and suggest that regulating emotional reactions may determine the efficacy of coping with ageism.

Racial/ethnic variations in the main and buffering effects of ethnic and nonethnic supports on depressive symptoms among five ethnic immigrant groups in Toronto.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined variations in the main and buffering effects of ethnic and nonethnic social support on depressive symptoms associated with discrimination among five immigrant groups in Toronto. DESIGN: Data were taken from the Toronto Study of Settlement and Health, a cross-sectional survey of adult immigrants from five ethnic communities (Vietnamese, Ethiopian, Iranian, Korean, and Irish) in Toronto. A total of 900 surveys were collected through face-to-face interviews conducted between April and September 2001. RESULTS: Significant ethnic variations were observed in the effects of both ethnic and nonethnic social supports on discrimination-related depressive symptoms. Regarding the main effect, ethnic social support was significantly stronger for Iranian, Ethiopian, and Korean immigrants than for Irish immigrants. The benefits of nonethnic support were stronger for Iranian immigrants compared to the effect found in the Irish sample. With respect to stress-buffering or stress-moderating effects of social support, ethnic support was significant in all ethnic groups, except the Vietnamese group. Nonethnic support aggravated the negative impact of discrimination on depressive symptoms in the Irish group, but exerted a stress-buffering effect in the Iranian group. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, social supports received from fellow ethnic group members had significant main effects (suppressing depressive symptoms) and stress-buffering effects and were most pronounced in the minority ethnic immigrant groups of Ethiopians, Koreans, and Iranians. The effects were least evident among the Vietnamese and Irish. Evidence for the stress-suppressing and stress-buffering role of cross-ethnic group supports was unclear, and even inverted among Irish immigrants. Empirical evidence from the current study seems to support the sociocultural similarity hypothesis of social support.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Ultra-Fine Grain Al-Zr Alloy Fabricated by Mechanical Alloying Process.

The ultra-fine grain Al-4Zr alloy has been successfully fabricated by a mechanical alloying process. The intermetallic Al3Zr phases strongly enhance the mechanical properties of Al-based alloy and prevent grain growth of alloy. The phase stability and transformation during mechanical alloying process have been investigated. The ultra-fine grain alloy has been successfully obtained. The thin film of Al-4Zr alloy has been observed by a transmission electron microscope. The equivalent grain size of as-milling specimen is 55 nm. After milling process, the specimens were heat treated at 350 °C to 650 °C. The equivalent grain size of heat treated specimens were 80 nm at 350 °C and 130 nm at 650 °C. Some of Zr atoms were dissolved into the Al matrix and most of them reacted with hydrogen produced by decomposition of PCA to form ZrH2 during mechanical alloying process. These ZrH2 hydrides decomposed gradually after the heat treatment. Stable A13Zr with a D023 structure was formed by heat treatment at temperature of 550 °C.

Effect of Al and Y2O3 on Mechanical Properties in Mechanically Alloyed Nanograin Ni-Based Alloys.

The effects of aluminum and Y2O3 on the mechanical properties in nano grain Ni-based alloys have been investigated. The test specimens are prepared by mechanical alloying at an Ar atmosphere. The addition of Y2O3 and Al may cause an increase in the tensile strength at room temperature, 400 °C and 600 °C. However, it was confirmed that the increase of tensile strength at room temperature and 400 °C was predominantly caused by addition of Y2O3, while that at 600 °C was mainly due to addition of Al. These results can be attributed to the dispersion strengthening of Y2O3, preventing the formation of Cr2O3 and the change of fracture mode at 600 °C by the addition of Al.

Association between restriction of activity related to chronic diseases and suicidal ideation in older adults in Korea.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to show an association between restricted activity related to chronic diseases and suicidal ideation (SI) in elderly Korean adults after adjusting for age, sex, mental health status, socioeconomic position and health behavior factors. METHODS: The study sample included 3545 Korean men (n=1473) and women (n=2073), aged over 65 years from the 2007-2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey carried out by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea. Participants were classified into two groups based on whether they had previously experienced suicidal thoughts. Restricted activity was related to chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular accident and so on. We analyzed the data using Student's t-test or χ(2) -test. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between restricted activity as the independent variable and SI as the dependent variable after adjustment for confounders. RESULTS: The proportion of participants with SI population was 29.1%. People with SI reported a significantly higher proportion of restrictive activity (62.3%) than those who did not have SI (34.5%). The adjusted risk excess (OR) of SI was statistically significant with regard to restricted activity (2.11, 95% CI 1.65-2.70; 2.85, 95% CI 1.95-4.15) in males; 1.69 (95% CI 1.22-2.34) in females after adjustment for potential confounders. In particular, women who lived alone showed high adjusted OR (1.50, 95% CI 1.01-2.24). CONCLUSIONS: Statistical analyses from this community-based, random sample drawn from a selected sample of the elderly Korean population showed that restricted activity appears to be significantly associated with SI.

Ethnic and gender differences in the association between discrimination and depressive symptoms among five immigrant groups.

This study examines ethnic and gender differences in exposure to discrimination and its association with depressive symptoms among five immigrant groups. Data were derived from a cross-sectional survey of 900 adult immigrants (50.8% men, 49.2% women) sampled from five ethnic immigrant communities in Toronto between April and September 2001. Men reported higher levels of discrimination than women. Ethiopians had the highest perception of discrimination followed by Korean, Iranian, Vietnamese, and Irish immigrants. With regard to discrimination-related depressive symptoms, Iranian and Korean men showed a greater risk than their Irish counterparts. Among women, Vietnamese and Irish seemed to be more vulnerable to discrimination than other ethnic groups. Despite experiencing the highest level of discrimination, Ethiopian men and women showed no association between discrimination and depressive symptoms. The exposure and psychological response to discrimination vary significantly across ethnicities and gender.