Depression in Korean immigrants in Canada. II. Correlates of gender, work, and marriage.

The Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale was used to measure depression by applying DSM-III criteria to a community sample of 860 adult Korean immigrants residing in Toronto, Canada. A total of 2.6% of men (95% confidence interval, 1.1% to 4.1%) and 6.7% of women (95% confidence interval, 4.3% to 9.1%) manifested depressive syndrome, rates not substantially different from those reported in North American community populations. The study also identified the subgroups in which the gender differences in depression were the greatest. Both the role demand (or double burden) and power explanations of gender differences might be supported. The mental health implications of social roles, including gender role, may be better understood from cross-cultural or multicultural perspectives.