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Face-saving represents a unique culturally salient construct among Chinese. However, our understanding regarding its relationship with psychological distress in this population remains limited. The objective of this cross-sectional study is to examine (1) the relationship between face-saving and depressive symptoms among U.S. Chinese older adults; and (2) whether face-saving mediates the relationship between acculturation and depressive symptoms. Data were from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (N = 3132), the largest epidemiologic study of Chinese older adults in Western countries. The relationship between face-saving and self-reported depressive symptoms was investigated by step-wise multivariable linear regression models. The Sobel test was used to test the mediating effect of face-saving. U.S. Chinese older adults with higher face-saving values experienced greater levels of depressive symptoms (B = 0.05, p < 0.001) than those with lower face-saving values, even after sociodemographic factors, health characteristics, and social support were accounted for. The mediation effect of face-saving was not statistically significant. The study findings underscore the significance of a unique cultural factor, specifically face-saving, in understanding U.S. Chinese older adults' experience of depressive symptoms. Depression screening and treatment programs should pay attention to face-saving issues among U.S. Chinese older adults. Future studies need to incorporate cultural factors in mental health research in diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which discusses the application of the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology in examining the patterns of social services used in community-based intervention in the U.S. It focuses on the ways that GIS can be applied to monitor the implementation of a citywide community-based emergency assistance and case management program aimed at preventing homelessness. The study reported shows that management information system data from human service agencies and publicly accessible data. Census can be effectively used in conjunction with Geographic Information Analysis. By integrating a large amount of data within one geographically-referenced framework, social service administrators could monitor the patterns of social service utilization, assess the extent to which different program sites adhere to the community-based program model, determine social services site location, and identify geographical areas with the greatest unmet service needs. The advantage of the GIS method lies in its ability to produce analyses and display geographically referenced information that are easy to understand and that have potential implications for program planning and program development.

Older adults visit emergency departments (EDs) at a disproportionally higher rate than other age groups. Prior studies examining racial disparities in ED utilization focus on African Americans and Hispanics. There is a dearth of information on ED utilization patterns among older Asian Americans despite the evidence that ED expenditures in Asian Americans are comparable to that of Caucasians. To address this knowledge gap, we examined factors associated with ED service utilization in the largest Asian subgroup, U.S. Chinese older adults. Cross-sectional data from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE) (N = 3,157) were used. Multivariate negative binomial regression analyses were conducted to examine significant factors associated with ED use. Higher education (rate ratio [RR] = 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00–1.05) and acculturation levels (RR = 1.02, CI 1.00–1.04), fewer people in the household (RR = 0.94, CI 0.88–0.99), health insurance coverage (RR = 1.34, CI 1.01–1.78), lower income (RR = 0.89, CI 0.80–0.99), poorer perceived health (RR = 0.67, CI 0.58–0.77), more functional limitations (RR = 1.09, CI 1.06–1.13) and depressive symptoms (RR = 1.04, CI 1.02–1.07), and a history of heart disease (RR = 2.28, CI 1.83–2.84), stroke (RR = 1.68, CI 1.20–2.35), cancer (RR = 1.86, CI 1.31–2.63), and hip fracture (RR = 1.42, CI 1.02–1.98) were associated with higher rates of ED visits. Our findings highlight several significant correlates of ED use in U.S. Chinese older adults. Culturally-appropriate interventions modifying these factors have the potential to decrease ED visits and improve care outcomes in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the long-term effectiveness of the ACCESS (Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports) project on service utilization and continuity of care among homeless persons with serious mental illness. A 3-year longitudinal analysis, using Medicaid claims data, tracked behavioral health service utilization among 146 Medicaid-eligible participants in the Pennsylvania ACCESS program. Utilization patterns of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department services for psychiatric and substance abuse treatment were examined during the year prior to, during, and one year after the implementation of the ACCESS project. Use of psychiatric ambulatory care significantly increased among intervention participants and remained greater following ACCESS intervention. Better continuity of care following hospitalization was achieved during and after the intervention. The number of days spent hospitalized significantly decreased during the intervention. These results suggest that the ACCESS intervention was effective in linking hard-to-reach homeless persons with serious mental illness to the community mental health service system, and that this effect was maintained after termination of the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]