Understanding Hopelessness among Community-Dwelling Chinese Older Adults in the Greater Chicago Area

Background: Previous studies suggest that hopelessness is associated with adverse health outcome and mortality. However, there exists limited understanding regarding the feelings of hopelessness in the U.S. Chinese aging population, the largest and oldest Asian population in the U.S. Objective: This study aims to examine the prevalence of hopelessness among community-dwelling U.S. Chinese older adults. Methods: Data were drawn from the PINE study, a population-based study of Chinese older adults aged 60 and above in the Greater Chicago Area. We administered Beck Hopelessness Scale -7 to examine feelings of hopelessness. Results: Of the 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults, 40.9% of the participants reported that they possessed hopelessness thoughts. Age, years in the U.S., and years in the community were significantly and positively correlated with any hopelessness, while overall health status, quality of life, and health changes over the last year were significantly and negatively correlated with any feelings of hopelessness. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the feelings of hopelessness were prevalent in U.S. Chinese older adults. Further longitudinal studies are needed to examine the risk factors and outcomes of hopelessness among U.S. Chinese older adults.