Evaluating Differential Item Functioning of the CES-D Scale According to Caregiver Status and Cultural Context in Korean Women.

Background: Proper evaluation of the generalizability of an instrument is critical for its use across different social contexts such as caregiver status.

Objective: To examine the differential item functioning of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale, patterns of response to each item of the CES-D Scale attributable to caregiver status was assessed.

Study Design: Using a cross-study comparison method, a sample of 58 matched pairs of Korean American caregivers and noncaregivers was used for matched moderated regression analysis on the CES-D Scale.

Identifying individual and contextual barriers to seeking mental health services among Korean American immigrant women.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore perceptions about barriers to Korean American immigrant women's seeking mental health services. Four focus groups were conducted with 27 Korean American participants, including two groups of providers and two groups of community women. Discussions were recorded and transcribed to identify and code themes.