Social determinants of willingness to discuss end‐of‐life care with family and doctors among Korean American immigrants: Findings from a cross‐sectional survey in Alabama

Prior research reported lower engagement in end-of-life discussions and planning among Korean American (KA) immigrants; however, there is a dearth of research investigating factors associated with their willingness to discuss their end-of-life care wishes. This study aimed to examine the willingness to have end-of-life discussions with family and doctors among KA immigrants and social determinants of health (SDH) associated with willingness. A self-administered, cross-sectional survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 259 KA immigrants recruited from two counties in Alabama. Demographic, health, acculturation and SDH information were collected. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between SDH and willingness for end-of-life discussion with family and doctors, respectively. The majority of the sample was willing to discuss end-of-life care with family (94%) and doctors (82%). Those with hospice awareness were more likely to have willingness for discussion with family (OR = 27.70, p < 0.001) and doctors (OR = 5.01, p < 0.001). Those who could not see a doctor because of cost (OR = 0.03, p < 0.01) and who had higher threats to interpersonal safety (OR = 0.74, p < 0.05) were less likely to have willingness for discussion with family. Those who had more chronic conditions (OR = 0.60, p < 0.05) and higher levels of social isolation (OR = 0.77, p < 0.05) were less likely to have willingness for discussion with doctors. The SDH identified in this study should be considered in developing interventions to promote end-of-life discussions in the KA immigrant community. Future research should investigate the associations explored in this study in a larger and more representative sample.