Community agency directors' attitudes on depression treatment among older Korean Americans and barriers to providing services.

Eunhye Kim, Tiffany R Washington

Aging & mental health 2022 May

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Objectives: The purpose of this study is to explore Korean agency directors' attitudes about depression treatment and their current efforts and barriers to providing services for older Korean Americans.Methods: Interviews were conducted with 11 agency directors, providing services from ethnic community centers and health care agencies. A constant comparative approach was applied to detect emerging themes.Results: Findings revealed that the agency directors had a negative attitude about using antidepressants and counseling. Based on these beliefs, they were less likely to recommend individuals with depression to use medical treatment or counseling; instead, they recommended informal ways of treating depression, including reliance on peers, family, and religious activities. A lack of educational training, funding, collaboration, and Korean-speaking professionals were perceived to be barriers to providing services.Discussion: Findings indicate the importance of educational training to increase understanding of depression treatment and to support the agency directors in offering services for older Korean Americans.

Citation

Eunhye Kim, Tiffany R Washington. Community agency directors' attitudes on depression treatment among older Korean Americans and barriers to providing services. Aging & mental health. 2022 May;26(5):1053-1060