The study explored determinants of depressive symptoms among 297 Hispanic older adults living in public housing (Mage = 76.0, SD = 7.74). Following a basic stress model, the focus was on the effects of demographic variables, risk factors (functional disability, self-perceived health, and acculturation), and social resources (network of relatives and network of friends). Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that financial status, which was a significant predictor in the initial model, became non-significant when risk factors were taken into consideration. All three risk factors were found to be significant; depressive symptoms were predicted by greater levels of functional disability, more negative self-perceived health, and lower levels of acculturation. In the final model, networks of both relatives and friends were shown to be significant even after we controlled for the effects of demographics and risk factors. Findings discussed in the article were made in the context of culture and residential setting.
Andresen, E., Malmgren, J., Carter, W., & Patrick, D. ( 1994). Screening for depression in well older adults: Evaluation of a short form of the CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale). American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 10, 77-84.
2.
Angel, R., Frisco, M., Angel, J., & Chiriboga, D. ( 2003). Financial strain and health among elderly Mexican-origin individuals. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44, 536-551.
3.
Berkman, L., Berkman, C., Kasl, S., Freeman, D., Leo, L., Ostfeld, A., et al. (1986). Depressive symptoms in relation to physical health and functioning in the elderly. American Journal of Epidemiology, 124, 372-388.
4.
Berry, J. ( 2002). Conceptual approaches to acculturation. In K. Chun, P. Organista , & G. Marin (Eds.), Acculturation: Advances in theory, measurement, and applied research (pp. 17-37). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
5.
Black, S., Markides, K., & Miller, T. ( 1998). Correlates of depressive symptomatology among older community-dwelling Mexican Americans: The Hispanic EPESE. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 53B, S198-S208.
6.
Blazer, D., Landerman, L., Hays, J., Simonsick, E., & Saunders, W. ( 1998). Symptoms of depression among community-dwelling elderly African-American and White older adults. Psychological Medicine , 28, 1311-1320.
7.
Brislin, R. ( 1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1, 185-216.
8.
Bruce, M. ( 2001). Depression and disability in late life: Direction for future research. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry , 9, 99-101.
9.
Chiriboga, D.A. ( 2004). Some thoughts on the measurement of acculturation among MexicanAmerican elders. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences , 26, 274-292.
10.
Chiriboga, D., Black, S., Aranda, M., & Markides, K. ( 2002). Stress and depressive symptoms among MexicanAmerican elders. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 57B, P559-P568.
11.
Chiriboga, D., McHugh, D., & Sweeney, M. ( 2004). The Mini-Mental Exam (Mini-ME): An unobtrusive and brief test for cognitive problems? Clinical Gerontologist, 27, 3-13.
12.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. ( 1985). Stress, social support, and buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310-357.
13.
Cuellar, J., Harris, L., & Jasso, R. ( 1980). An acculturation scale for Mexican American normal and clinical populations. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences , 2, 199-246.
14.
Dilworth-Anderson, P., & Burton, L. ( 1999). Critical issues in understanding family support and older minorities. In T. P. Miles (Ed.), Full-color aging: Facts, goals, and recommendations for America’s diverse elders (pp. 93-105). Washington, DC: The Gerontological Society of America.
15.
Fillenbaum, G. ( 1988). Multidimensional functional assessment: The Duke Older Americans Resources and Services procedure. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
16.
Folstein, M., Folstein, S., & McHugh, P. (1975). Mini Mental State: A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 12, 189-198.
17.
George, L. ( 1996). Social factors and illness. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (4th ed., pp. 229-252). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
18.
González, H., Haan, M., & Hinton, L. ( 2001). Acculturation and the prevalence of depression in older Mexican Americans: Baseline results of the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49, 948-953.
19.
Grzywacz, J., Hovey, J., Seligman, L., Arcury, T., & Quandt, S. ( 2006). Evaluation short-form versions of the CES-D for measuring depressive symptoms among immigrants from Mexico. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 28, 404-424.
20.
Hambleton, R., & de Jong, J. ( 2003). Advances in translating and adapting educational and psychological tests. Language Testing, 20, 127-134.
21.
Hazuda, H., Stern, M., & Haffner, S. ( 1988). Acculturation and assimilation among Mexican Americans: Scales and population-based data. Social Science Quarterly , 69, 687-705.
22.
Idler, E., & Benyamini, Y. ( 1997). Self-rated health and mortality: A review of twenty-seven community studies. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 38, 21-37.
23.
Jang, Y., Chiriboga, D., Kim, G., & Phillips, K. ( 2008). Depressive symptoms in four racial and ethnic groups: The Survey of Older Floridians. Research on Aging, 30, 488-502.
24.
Johnson, R., & Wolinsky, F. ( 1999). Functional status, receipt of help, and perceived health . Journal of Clinical Geropsychology, 5, 105-125.
25.
Katz, S. ( 1983). Assessing self-maintenance: Activities of daily living, mobility, and instrumental activities of daily living, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 31, 721-727.
26.
Krause, N., & Goldenhar, L. ( 1992). Acculturation and psychological distress in three groups of elderly Hispanics. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences , 47, S279-S288.
27.
Lawton, M.P., & Brody, E. ( 1969). Assessment of older people: Self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living. The Gerontologist, 9, 179-186.
28.
Lazarus, R., & Folkman, S. ( 1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. New York: Springer.
29.
Lee, S., Moody-Ayers, S., Landefeld, C., Walter, L., Lindquist, K., Segal, M., et al. (2007). The relationship between self-rated health and mortality in older black and white Americans. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 55, 1624-1629.
30.
Lubben, J. ( 1988). Assessing social networks among elderly populations. Family and Community Health, 11, 42-52.
31.
Newsom, J., & Schulz, R. (1996). Social support as a mediator in the relations between functional status and quality of life in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 11, 34-44.
32.
Ormel, J., Kempen, G., Deeg, D., Brilman, E., van Sonderen, E., & Relyveld, J. ( 1998). Functioning, well-being, and health perception in late middle-aged and older people: Comparing the effects of depressive symptoms and chronic medical conditions. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 46, 39-48.
33.
Phinney, J., & Flores, J. ( 2002). "Unpackaging" acculturation: Aspects of acculturation as predictors of traditional sex role attitudes. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33, 320-331.
34.
Radloff, L. ( 1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement , 1, 385-401.
35.
Roberts, R. ( 1980). Reliability of the CES-D scale in different ethnic contexts . Psychiatry Research, 2, 125-134.
36.
Rogler, L.H., Cortes, D.E., & Malgady, R.G. ( 1991). Acculturation and mental health status among Hispanics: Convergence and new directions for research. American Psychologist , 46, 585-597.
37.
Sam, D., & Berry, J. ( 2006). The Cambridge handbook of acculturation psychology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
38.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2008). U.S. Census Bureau news. Retrieved August 20, 2008, from www.census.gov/Press-Release/www./releases/archives/population/011910.html
39.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ( 2008). Characteristics of HUD-assisted renters and their units in 2003. Retrieved August 20, 2008, from www.huduser.org
40.
Wang, C., & Satariano, W. ( 2007). Self-rated current and future health independently predict subsequent mortality in an aging population. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 62, 1428-1434.
41.
Ward, C., & Chang, W. ( 1997). "Culture fit": A new perspective on personality and sojourner adjustment. International Journal of Intercultural Relations , 21, 525-533.
42.
Wolinsky, F., & Johnson, R. ( 1992). Perceived health status and mortality among older men and women. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 47, S304-S312.
43.
Yang, F., Cazorla-Lancaster, Y., & Jones, R. ( 2008). Within-group differences in depression among older Hispanics living in the United States. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 63B, P27-P32.
44.
Zeiss, A.M., Lewinsohn, P., Rohde, P., & Seeley, J. ( 1996). Relationship of physical disease and functional impairment to depression in older people. Psychology and Aging, 11, 572-581.
