Socio-psychological well-being, drug use and health among the elderly Chinese in Toronto

Abstract

Based on data from the Chinese subsample of a 1987 study of alcohol and drug use among 349 elderly subjects in Toronto, this paper examines the physical health of the Chinese elderly (N=51) and its socio-pjychological corielates. bocio-psychological correlates included the following scales: (i) social support (Gwton, e1 al, 1982), (ii) social activities (creecy, et al, 1985), (iii) negattue life-events lOoirrendwend, et al, igZA),'(iu) subjective well-being (Liang, 1985), (v) personal control (Llnn and Linn, iSenl anO (vi) ioneliness (Creecy, ef al, 1985). A "drug use" scale (use of alcoholand tobacco, and non' medical usi of prescription drugs) was employed as an intervening variable between the sociopsychological variables and health. The results show that, on the whole, physical health of the Chinese elderly was associated with the socio-psychological variables but not with drug use. Among the Chinese elderly, the level oldlg use was low-and diug use was not a means of coping with the lack of social and psychological wellbeing.