Ivanna Goh

Abstract of Ivanna's Research

Aims:

To examine the levels and rates of depression in Chinese residents living in ethno-specific nursing homes (NHs), and Chinese residents living in mainstream NHs in Sydney.

Background:

Australia has a growing aging migrant population and rates of depression in NHs are high, but the prevalence of depression in culturally and linguistically diverse residents has received little attention in the research literature.

Design:

A cross-sectional survey.

Methods:

Older persons from a Chinese background residing in either Chinese-specific or mainstream NHs located in Sydney were invited to participate. Assessments included the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia, and interviews with family carers and staff.

Results:

Fifty-eight Chinese residents were recruited from three Chinese-specific NHs (n = 31) and thirteen mainstream NHs (n = 27). There were no significant differences in depression levels or rates between the facility types, in which the mean Cornell Scale of Depression in Dementia scores were 9.4 and 11.2 in Chinese-specific and mainstream NHs, respectively. Chinese-specific NHs had lower prescription levels of antipsychotics and had a higher number of residents receiving effective antidepressant therapy in comparison to mainstream NHs.

Conclusions:

These findings suggest that Chinese ethno-specific care does not impact on levels or rates of depression, but does impact on reducing antipsychotic use and increasing the number of residents treated effectively with antidepressant therapy in comparison to mainstream care. Future longitudinal research with larger samples and a range of outcome measures including quality-of-life and social engagement is required to further explore the effects of ethno-specific care.