Depression and chronic illness: Asian/Pacific Islander adults in Hawaii

Asian/Pacific Islanders (APIs) are comprised of many subgroups, such as Filipinos, Hawaiians, Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, and Samoans. They are often portrayed as the model minority for health, though they rarely seek help for depression. Few studies have reported findings for each of the subgroups separately. Because depression has been related to health care and outcomes of people with chronic illness, this study, utilizing previously collected data, compared the prevalence of mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe depression and self-reported chronic illnesses among several API groups. Understanding subgroup cultural differences in the prevalence of depression may contribute to better assessment of early signs of depression for this population. A descriptive statistical analysis found Pacific Islanders were three times more likely to have severe or moderately severe depression compared to Asians (4.8% vs. 1.5%). Other characteristics related to these findings include: cigarette use, employment status, emotional support, life satisfaction, and health care access.