Depression among the elderly Chinese in Canada

This research investigated the prevalence of depression among the elderly Chinese in Canada. The respondents totalled 96 randomly selected elderly Chinese living in Calgary. A 15-item Chinese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale was used as the depression measure. Results show that among the respondents, 9.4 per cent were mildly depressed and 11.5 per cent were moderately to severely depressed. The overall prevalence rate of depression in the elderly Chinese is higher than that of the general elderly population in Canada, but lower than that of the elderly Chinese in the United States. Findings from regression analysis show that having more illnesses, having lived in Canada longer, not knowing English, being younger in age, and having poor physical health are the significant predictors of depression in the elderly Chinese. The results indicate the mental health needs of this group of ethnic elderly. Other research and practice implications of the findings are also discussed in the paper.