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Few studies have focused on activity engagement among older immigrants. We aim to map the patterns of activity engagement and examine the associations with social-ecological factors in a sample of older Chinese immigrants. Participants were from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE). Four patterns of activity engagement were identified through latent class analysis: restricted, diverse, informal social, and community-based social. Intrapersonal, interpersonal, cultural, and environmental factors distinguished latent classes of activity engagement. In particular, acculturation and family-oriented immigration differentiated the restricted from the diverse class membership. Positive attributes of social environment such as social network size, positive social support, and neighborhood cohesion were associated with the likelihood of categorization in the diverse, informal social, and community-based social groups relative to the restricted group. Findings point to the importance of positive attributes of social environment in enhancing engagement with life among older Chinese immigrants.

Guided by a convoy model of social relations, this study explores the complex relationships between loneliness, age at immigration, familial relationships, and depressive symptoms among older immigrants. This study used 2010 Health and Retirement Study data from a sample of 575 immigrants (52% female, age range 65-99 years). Ordinary least squares regression models were estimated. The findings indicate that for older immigrants who came to the United States at age 45 or older, loneliness was significantly positively associated with depressive symptoms. Further, perceived negative strain and hours spent helping family moderated this relationship such that the effect of loneliness on depressive symptoms was stronger among respondents who perceived more negative family strain and spent fewer hours helping family. Familial relationships are crucial for the psychological well-being of older immigrants because they can be a source of either stress or support. The results have implications for how research and practices can support the immigrant families., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: This study examined the associations of neighborhood characteristics and living arrangements with physical and mental health among older Chinese Americans., Method: A sample of 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults in the Greater Chicago area provided reports of health, socio-demographic characteristics, living arrangements, social cohesion, and neighborhood disorder. We used multinomial logistic, Poisson, and negative binominal regression analyses., Results: Neighborhood disorder was consistently associated with negative health indicators, including poor self-reported health, more chronic conditions, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Findings about the relationships between social cohesion and health indicators were mixed. Social cohesion was more salient to mental health for those living with spouse, children, and/or grandchildren relative to those living with spouse only., Discussion: Policies and interventions are needed to improve the physical and social environments of neighborhoods and to promote healthy aging among Chinese older adults and in the general population as well.