This research proposal requests five years of funding for a community epidemiological study to investigate the psychiatric problems and assess the need for mental health services among Chinese Americans. Very little information is available about the distribution of psychiatric disorders in Asian American communities. The proposed study has two specific aims: (a) estimate the prevalence of selected mental disorders among Chinese Americans; and (b) identify the factors associated with mental health problems among Chinese Americans. This prospective study will obtain 1,700 completed household interviews with Chinese Americans residing in Los Angeles county. A follow-up interview with the same respondents will be conducted one year later. The target population for the proposed study includes Chinese immigrants and native-born residents of the United States. The study is limited to adults (eighteen and older) who reside in Los Angeles County who speak Mandarin, Cantonese, or English. Mandarin and Cantonese are the most common Chinese dialects. The proposed research will use a multi-stage sampling design to select respondents. The interview instrument will include the following: (a) socio-demographic information including age, sex, educational level, household income, number of household members, year of immigration, country of origin, marital status, and English-proficiency; (b) Diagnostic Interview Schedule questions related to mood, anxiety, and somatic disorders; (c) questions related to stressors including major life events and daily hassles; (d) information on social support and hardiness; and (e) help-seeking behavior questions.
