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Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Association Between Symptoms of Depression and Self-rated Mental Health Among Older Adults

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Abstract

The study examined racial/ethnic differences in the association between symptoms of depression and self-rated mental health among older adults. Data came from the first wave of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a population-based study of non-institutionalized older adults aged 57 to 85. The sample consisted of non-Hispanic Whites (n = 2,110), Blacks (n = 509), and Hispanics (n = 304). The association between symptoms of depression and self-rated mental health was weaker among minority groups than that among non-Hispanic Whites. Tests of interaction effects showed that the predictability of depressive symptoms to self-rated mental health was substantially weakened among Blacks of advanced ages and Hispanics with multiple chronic conditions. The study explored potential sources of racial/ethnic differences in subjective reports of mental health and called attention to older minorities with advanced ages and cormorbid conditions in mental health services and interventions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Namkee Choi for her feedback on an initial version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin, 1925 San Jacinto Blvd., D3500, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Yuri Jang

  2. School of Social Work, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Nan Sook Park

  3. Department of Social Work, Binghamton University State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, USA

    Suk-Young Kang

  4. Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    David A. Chiriboga

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  1. Yuri Jang
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  2. Nan Sook Park
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  3. Suk-Young Kang
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  4. David A. Chiriboga
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Correspondence to Yuri Jang.

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Jang, Y., Park, N.S., Kang, SY. et al. Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Association Between Symptoms of Depression and Self-rated Mental Health Among Older Adults. Community Ment Health J 50, 325–330 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9642-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-013-9642-2

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