"Do Your Best to Avoid it": Appraisals and Coping with Discrimination-Related Stress Among Older Chinese Immigrants in Affordable Senior Housings During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study investigated how older Chinese immigrants in affordable senior housing facilities (ASHs) appraise and cope with anti-Asian discrimination and related stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 participants aged over 65, analyzing verbatim transcripts and field notes using thematic analysis. Four major domains were identified: (1) discriminatory experience, (2) appraisals of discrimination stress, (3) coping strategies, and (4) rationales behind coping. Among the participants, 11 (42%) reported experiencing discrimination either personally or by someone they know. Participants' appraisals of discrimination stress varied, and most of them opted for disengagement coping strategies (e.g., avoidance, rationalization) attributing them to health concerns, individual characteristics, environmental and societal factors, and low acculturation. The findings suggest the need for more social and community resources to enhance coping capacity and resilience in this vulnerable population.

Environment profiles, social participation patterns, depressive symptoms and quality of life of disabled older adults: a longitudinal investigation

OBJECTIVES

This study used the World Health Organization's healthy ageing framework to explore longitudinal influences of environment profiles and social participation (SP) patterns on depressive symptoms (DSs) and on quality of life (QOL).

METHODS

Data were collected from a sample of community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan in 2018 (T1; N = 1,314) and a follow-up survey in 2020 (T2; N = 831). Latent class analysis was conducted to obtain environment and SP profiles. Multilevel modeling was carried out to explicate the hypothesized associations.

RESULTS

Three unique environment profiles, labeled as Highly- (Highly-FE), Moderately- (Moderately-FE) and Weakly-Facilitative Environment (Weakly-FE), were identified from T1 data. The three SP classes that were obtained from T1 and T2 data denoted High-, Moderate- and Low-SP. Participants in the 'Highly-FE' class were more likely to belong to the 'High-SP' and 'Moderate-SP' subgroups and exhibited significantly fewer DSs and better QOL. The associations were confirmed both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

CONCLUSION

Interventions should be developed to promote or maintain preferred SP to maximize the current and future mental health and subjective well-being of disabled older adults.

Social network and mental health of Chinese immigrants in affordable senior housing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods study

OBJECTIVE

Chinese immigrant older adults who live in affordable housing are at high risk of experiencing social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which can affect their mental health. Using a triangulation mixed-methods approach, this study describes Chinese immigrant older adults' social network, mental health status, and their associations during the pandemic.

METHODS

Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 Chinese immigrant older adults from June to August 2021. The structure and characteristics of participants' social networks were assessed with a name-generating approach. Mental health status was self-reported with Geriatric Depression Scale and UCLA loneliness scale.

RESULTS

This sample (mean age = 78.12, 69.23% female), on average, had 5.08 social ties in their network, and 58% were family ties. Participants reported decreased social contact, family and friends interaction patterns specific to immigrants, and constantly being in a low mood and bored. Having closer relationships with others and maintaining the same or higher contact frequency after COVID-19 onset was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Resilience from religious beliefs, neighbors as role models, and wisdom learned from past experiences were reported.

CONCLUSION

Knowledge built in this study can inform respondence to future crises like the COVID-19 pandemic in affordable housing settings serving older immigrant populations.

STRESS AND RESILIENCE ACROSS PHASES OF COVID-19: A QUALITATIVE STUDY WITH OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged older Chinese immigrants’ lives in physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects. This study employed a socioecological perspective of resilience to examine how older Chinese immigrants perceived and navigated through pandemic-related adversities. We conducted a time-bound retrospective qualitative investigation to capture participants’ lived experiences between December 2019 to August 2021. Three phases of the pandemic-related adversities were identified, including uncertain threats and psychological impacts at the beginning, unmet needs and fatigue at 2nd and 3rd wave of infections, and benefit-risk balance after vaccinated. Despite adversities, the integration of strengths, opportunities, and social services at the individual, interpersonal, and neighborhood levels allows participants to appraise and individualize their problem-focus coping (e.g., risk mitigation), selective engagement (e.g., maintaining habits through other means), or emotion-focus coping strategies (e.g., acceptance). Findings highlight the importance of personal and community resources in fostering resilient responses.

SOCIAL NETWORK AND MENTAL HEALTH OF OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS IN AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Chinese older immigrants who live in senior housing communities are at high risks of experiencing discrimination and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines how and to what extent the pandemic has affected this population’s social network and mental health. Participants reported a decrease in social contact with their family and friends. Before the pandemic, many paid regular visits back to the home country and could not do so in the past two years. The loss of connection left some feeling despaired and expressed uncertainty on whether they could ever go back “home” before death. Participants also reported being in a low mood and feeling bored constantly. Participants reported resilience generated from their religious beliefs, having neighbors as role models, and wisdom learned from past life experiences. Knowledge produced in this project can inform the planning for responding to future crises in affordable senior housing.

DISCRIMINATION AND COPING AMONG OLDER CHINESE IMMIGRANTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Discriminatory events against Asians, especially Chinese, became rampant during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is difficult for older Chinese immigrants to effectively protect themselves from racism-related attacks due to their personal and social disadvantages. This study explored older Chinese immigrants’ experience of discrimination and coping strategies, as well as factors that influence their perceptions, attitudes, and coping preferences. Among 27 interviewees, 11 experienced discriminatory incidents themselves or known people around had been discriminated against during the pandemic. Thematic analysis revealed negative psychological impact of discrimination risk or experience. Most participants tended to adopt disengagement coping styles, such as avoidance, rationalization, and reducing social participation. Three primary influencing factors are: (1) perceived unkindness from government and public opinions; (2) concern for own health; (3) limited acculturation. Our findings suggest needing efforts to protect the safety of older Chinese immigrants, and raise their awareness and ability to defend themselves from racism and discrimination.

Effects of Intergenerational Relationship and Support on mHealth App Adoption Among Older Adults

As a growing body of literature examining the effects of mHealth for older adults’ diabetes self-management, how relational factors affect seniors adopting mHealth is still unclear. Guided by the transactional approach of intergenerational relations and the technology acceptance model, this study aims at investigating the perceived ease-of-use, perceived usefulness, and intention-to-use of a mHealth app among older adults with Type-2 diabetes in relation to familial (parent-child) relationship and to e-learning support from child/ren or from external youth volunteering tutors. Using data from the Intergenerational Mobile Technology Opportunities Program (IMTOP), 304 Taiwanese participants (an average age of 64.6 years, 43% female, and 62.5% received at least a high school degree) who had at least a child were included for analysis using structural equation modeling. Results showed that perceived ease-of-use (β = .58, p < .001) and perceived usefulness (β = .27, p < .001) are significant predictors of intention-to-use. Positive associations are found only between external intergenerational, but not familial, e-learning support and perceived ease-of-use (β = .45, p < .001) and perceived usefulness (β = .42, p < .001). Parent-child relationship is positively associated with both familial (β = .73, p < .001) and external intergenerational support for e-learning (β = .36, p < .001), as well as directly (β = .12, p = .030) and indirectly related to intention-to-use. Our findings suggest the importance of intergenerational relationship and appreciation of both familial and external support to facilitate and sustain older adults’ adoption for mHealth programs.

Impact of polyethyleneglycol addition on diffusion coefficients in binary ionic liquid electrolytes composed of dicationic ionic liquid and polyethyleneglycol

We conduct a comparative study of conductivity and diffusion coefficient of two dicationic ionic liquids (3,3'-(octane-1,8-diyl)bis(1-ethyl-3-imidazolium) bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([IMCI][TFSI], S1) and 3,3'-(2,2'-(ethane-1,2-diylbis(oxy))bis(ethane-2,1-diyl))bis(1-ethyl-3-imidazolium) bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide ([IMOI][TFSI], S2)) at various temperatures. The diffusion coefficients of cation and anion in ionic liquids are determined by using pulse gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance method. S2 shows lower viscosity, higher conductivity, and higher diffusion coefficient than those of S1. Moreover, the influence of polyethyleneglycol (PEG200, M_w  = 200) addition in PEG200/IL binary solutions is investigated. PEG200/S1 binary solutions show lower viscosity, higher conductivity, and higher diffusion coefficient than those of neat S1. The experimental molar conductivity (Λ) of neat IL and PEG200/IL binary solutions is lower than that of the calculated molar conductivity (Λ_NMR ) from pulse gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance method at various temperatures, indicating that not all the diffusion species belong to the ionic conduction. In other words, NMR diffusion measurements comprise charged and paired (without charge) ions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Cooking oil fume-induced cytokine expression and oxidative stress in human lung epithelial cells

Epidemiological studies have shown an association between exposure to indoor air pollution from Chinese-style cooking and risk of lung cancer among Chinese females. Several toxic substances have been identified in cooking oil fumes (COF) collected from heated rapeseed oil. In this study, we examined the biological effects of COF on CL3 human lung epithelial cells. Exposure to 200 microg/ml COF significantly reduced cell growth within 4 days. In addition, we examined the effect of COF on TGFbeta1, TGFbeta2, IL-6, IL-8, and IFN-gamma gene expressions with the RT-PCR method. We found that TGFbeta1 mRNA levels increased after exposure to 200 microg/ml COF for 24 h. Similarly, exposure to 10 microM benzo[a]pyrene or 100 nM 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate increased TGFbeta1 mRNA levels at 24 h. The mRNA levels of TGFbeta2, IL-6, IL-8, and IFN-gamma did not increase after treatment with COF, benzo[a]pyrene, or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. COF-induced TGFbeta1 production was confirmed by quantification of TGFbeta1 in conditioned medium with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Exposure to 200 microg/ml COF significantly increased TGFbeta1 secretion in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. It has been demonstrated that reactive oxygen intermediates induce TGFbeta1 gene expression. When CL3 cells were exposed to 200 microg/ml COF for 15 min, there was an increase in intracellular peroxide formation with the dichlorofluorescein method. Furthermore, treatment with 200 microg/ml COF for 12 h also significantly induced lipid peroxidation in CL3 cells. Our results show that exposure to COF inhibits cell growth, increases TGFbeta1 secretion, and induces oxidative stress in CL3 lung epithelial cells. This suggests that TGFbeta1 and oxidative stress play a role in the biological effects of COF on lung epithelial cells.

Genetic polymorphisms of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase, CYP1A1 and microsomal epoxide hydrolase and lung cancer risk in Nanjing, China

Genetic variations in metabolic activation or detoxification enzymes have been thought to contribute to individual differences in lung cancer susceptibility. Genetic polymorphisms of NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) and microsomal epoxide hydrolase (HYL1) have been associated with increased lung cancer risk in Asian populations. In the present study, the possibility of an association of NQO1, CYP1A1 and HYL1 genetic polymorphisms with lung cancer was examined among residents in Nanjing, China. A total of 84 lung cancer patients and 84 control subjects were matched by age, gender, occupation and smoking status. No significant association was observed for these genetic polymorphisms with the overall incidence of lung cancer. When the groups were stratified according to smoking status, we found that smokers carrying the HYL1*2 allele had a higher relative risk for lung cancer Odds ratio ((OR), 5.66; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.71-18.68). The association was also found with squamous cell carcinoma (OR, 3.23; 95% CI, 1.00-10.38). Our results suggest that HYL1*2 polymorphism might be a risk factor for smoking-associated lung cancer in China.