How stress, discrimination, acculturation and the gut microbiome affect depression, anxiety and sleep among Chinese and Korean immigrants in the USA: a cross-sectional pilot study protocol

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Sangmi Kim, Emory University; Wenhui Zhang, Emory University; Victoria Pak, Emory University; Jasmine Ko Aqua, Emory University; Vicki Hertzberg, Emory University; Chandler M Spahr, University of California Riverside; George M Slavich, University of California Los Angeles; Jinbing Bai, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2021-01-01
• Publisher: BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047281
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: BMJ OPEN
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 7
• Start Page: e047281
• End Page: e047281
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was supported by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research at Emory University (Bidirectional Global Health Disparities Research Pilot Grant, JB and SK) and National Institute of Health/National Institute of Nursing Research (1K99NR017897-01, 4R00NR017897-03, JB). GS was supported by a Society in Science—Branco Weiss Fellowship, NARSAD Young Investigator Grant #23958 from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation and National Institutes of Health grant K08 MH103443.
• Keywords: AMERICANS; RACIAL-DISCRIMINATION; Medicine, General & Internal; SAMPLE-SIZE; ASSOCIATION; public health; UNITED-STATES; SYMPTOMS; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; General & Internal Medicine; MENTAL-HEALTH; ETHNIC-IDENTITY; Science & Technology; DISTURBANCES; mental health; social medicine; METABOLIC SYNDROME
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Oncology; Health Sciences, Nursing

Abstract

Introduction Although a considerable proportion of Asians in the USA experience depression, anxiety and poor sleep, these health issues have been underestimated due to the model minority myth about Asians, the stigma associated with mental illness, lower rates of treatment seeking and a shortage of culturally tailored mental health services. Indeed, despite emerging evidence of links between psychosocial risk factors, the gut microbiome and depression, anxiety and sleep quality, very few studies have examined how these factors are related in Chinese and Korean immigrants in the USA. The purpose of this pilot study was to address this issue by (a) testing the usability and feasibility of the study's multilingual survey measures and biospecimen collection procedure among Chinese and Korean immigrants in the USA and (b) examining how stress, discrimination, acculturation and the gut microbiome are associated with depression, anxiety and sleep quality in this population. Method and analysis This is a cross-sectional pilot study among first and second generations of adult Chinese and Korean immigrants in the greater Atlanta area (Georgia, USA). We collected (a) gut microbiome samples and (b) data on psychosocial risk factors, depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance using validated, online surveys in English, Chinese and Korean. We aim to recruit 60 participants (30 Chinese, 30 Korean). We will profile participants' gut microbiome using 16S rRNA V3-V4 sequencing data, which will be analysed by QIIME 2. Associations of the gut microbiome and psychosocial factors with depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance will be analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including linear regression. Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board at Emory University (IRB ID: STUDY00000935). Results will be made available to Chinese and Korean community members, the funder and other researchers and the broader scientific community.