Depression among the elderly Chinese in Canada

This research investigated the prevalence of depression among the elderly C hinese in Canada. The respondents totalled 96 randomly selected elderly Chi nese living in Calgary. A 15-item Chinese version of the Geriatric Depressi on Scale was used as the depression measure. Results show that among the re spondents, 9.4 per cent were mildly depressed and 11.5 per cent were modera tely to severely depressed. The overall prevalence rate of depression in th e 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. Fi ndings from regression analysis show that having more illnesses, having liv ed in Canada longer, not knowing English, being younger in age, and having poor physical health are the significant predictors of depression in the el derly Chinese. The results indicate the mental health needs of this group o f ethnic elderly. Other research and practice implications of the findings are also discussed in the paper.