Abstract

This is a collaborative pilot study with faculty colleagues from three institutions of higher education in the United States, Guangzhou Community Health Research Institute, and The Golden Age Center in the Chinese community of Boston, Massachusetts. The purpose of our study is to: (a)identify the level of depression among a small group of older Chinese adults in the Chinese American community of Boston and in Guangzhou, China (b) explore how depression is culturally defined in Boston and in Guangzhou, China and (c) explore help-seeking behavior among older Chinese adults in Boston and in Guangzhou, China. The larger goal is to lessen the severe strains experienced by older adults in present-day Chinese and Chinese American communities, and thereby enhance the quality of life for a segment of the older adult population about which little is known. The participants in our study reside in the Chinese community of Boston, Massachusetts and in the city of Guangzhou, China.