Depressive Symptoms in Koreans, Korean-Chinese and Chinese: A Transcultural Study

Abstract

We compared symptoms among three groups of depressed patients: 60 Koreans residing in Seoul, Korea; 42 Korean-Chinese in Yanbien, China; and 31 Chinese in Yanbien, China, using Hamilton’s Rating Scale for Depression and Beck’s Depression Inventory. Korean depressives manifested the highest scores in depressive mood, dissatisfaction, feelings of guilt, and loss of work and interest, whereas the Chinese scored highest in loss of work and interest, loss of libido, insomnia, delayed insomnia and agitation. The Korean-Chinese had prominent symptoms of agitation, retardation and hypochondriasis. The findings suggest that Korean depressives are characterized by psychological symptoms, Chinese depressives are characterized by somatic symptoms and Korean-Chinese depressives lie between the other two groups on a somatic–psychological continuum. The results are discussed in the context of cultural differences between Korea and China and the cultural pluralism of the Korean-Chinese.