Perceived stress, psychopathology, and family support in Korean immigrants and nonimmigrants

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of immigration on perceived stress, psychopathology, and family support in Korean immigrants. A total of 105 immigrants and 32 nonimmigrants responded to the questionnaire. The Global assessment of recent stress (GARS) scale as well as anxiety, depression and somatization scales of the symptom checklist-90-revised (SCL-90-R), and the perceived social support scale were used to measure perceived stress, psychopathology and extent and of family support. Immigrants scored significantly higher on the somatization scale than nonimmigrants. However, no significant differences were found in scores on the anxiety and depression scales of SCL-90-R, total GARS scores for family support between the two groups. Immigrants with lower incomes had significantly higher scores on the anxiety, depression and somatization scales as well as total GARS scores than those with higher incomes, whereas the former were significantly lower in family support than the latter. Immigrants with nonprofessional occupations had significantly higher scores on the anxiety and somatization scales and lower scores for family support than those with professional occupations. The extent of satisfaction for family (spouses and children), job and friendship had significantly negative correlations with scores on all three scales of SCL-90-R in immigrants. These results suggest that Korean immigrants had more somatization than nonimmigrants, and that the immigrants' psychopathology, including somatization, could be greatly influenced by income, type of occupation, satisfaction for job, family and friendship.