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Objectives To examine the demographic correlates of lifetime and 12-month prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) among older African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and non-Hispanic Whites. Methods Data are from adults aged 55 years and older (n = 1439) recruited to the National Survey of American Life (NSAL; 2001–2003). The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Version IV World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to assess the 12-month and lifetime MDD. Weighted logistic regression was used to model demographic correlates of MDD. Results The population prevalence of lifetime and 12-month MDD were 11.2% and 4.1%, respectively. Bivariate analyses revealed that younger respondents and those with greater disability had a higher prevalence of both lifetime and 12-month MDD compared with those who were older and who had lower disability. Multivariable logistic regressions controlling for demographic characteristics revealed that non-Hispanic Whites had the greatest odds of lifetime MDD (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.32, 3.93). Women had significantly greater odds of lifetime MDD compared with men (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.14, 5.41); there were no gender differences in 12-month MDD. Other significant predictors of MDD were marital status and region of residence. Conclusions The distribution, correlates, and nature of associations with MDD vary as a function of whether we examined lifetime vs. 12-month MDD. Future work should account for within group differences among older adults with depression. Understanding MDD correlates and the nature of intergroup diversity can inform the identification of particularly vulnerable subgroups as well as appropriate treatment approaches. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. more...

Objectives The purpose of this study is to estimate lifetime prevalence of seven psychiatric affective disorders for older non-Hispanic White people, African Americans, Caribbean Black people, Latinos, and Asian Americans and examine demographic, socioeconomic, and immigration correlates of those disorders. Design Data are taken from the older sub-sample of the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys. Selected measures of lifetime DSM-IV psychiatric disorders were examined (i.e., panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and dysthymia). Setting Community epidemiologic survey. Participants Nationally representative sample of adults 55 years and older (n = 3046). Measurements Disorders were assessed using the DSM-IV World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results Major depressive disorder and social phobia were the two most prevalent disorders among the seven psychiatric conditions. Overall, non-Hispanic White people and Latinos consistently had higher prevalence rates of disorders, African Americans had lower prevalence of major depression and dysthymia, and Asian Americans were typically less likely to report affective disorders than those of their counterparts. There is variation across groups in the association of demographic, socioeconomic, and immigration variables with disorders. Conclusions This study furthers our understanding of the racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence of DSM-IV disorders among older adults and the correlates of those disorders. It highlights the importance of examining both between-group and within-group differences in disorders and the complexity of the mechanisms associated with differences across groups. Findings from this study underscore the need for future research that more clearly delineates subgroup differences and similarities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. more...

This study investigated the correlates of relationship satisfaction, marriage expectations, and relationship longevity among unmarried African American and Black Caribbean (Caribbean Black) adults who are in a romantic relationship. The study used data from the National Survey of American Life, a national representative sample of African Americans and Caribbean Blacks in the United States. The findings indicated that the correlates of relationship satisfaction, expectations of marriage, and relationship longevity were different for African Americans and Black Caribbeans. For Black Caribbeans, indicators of socioeconomic status were particularly important correlates of relationship satisfaction. For African Americans, indicators of parental status were important for relationship longevity. Policy and practice implications for nonmarital unions are discussed. more...

This study proposed and tested a model of informal church support networks among African Americans. Consistent with research in family relations, age and gender were significantly associated with the frequency of interaction with church members. In addition, the degree of subjective closeness and the frequency of interaction were both significantly associated with the frequency of receiving support from church members, suggesting that conceptualizations of family solidarity may extend to church networks. Practice implications emphasize the importance of recognizing church members as integral members of the informal networks of African Americans. Key Words: African Americans, extended family, family solidarity, nonkin network, religion, social support. Extended family relationships and religion are important aspects of the daily lives of African Americans. Hill's classic monograph (1972) notes that ties with religious and extended kin networks are two major strengths of Black families. In the ensuing 30 years since the publication of Hill's monograph, there has been a tremendous growth in research on extended family relationships, coupled with more limited research on religious participation among Black Americans (Taylor, Chatters, & Levin, 2004). The two bodies of work have intersected in important ways to produce new lines of research investigating the role of church members in informal social support networks (Krause, 2002; Krause, Ellison, & Wulff, 1998; Taylor & Chatters, 1986, 1988). Given the relatively high levels of church attendance among African Americans (Taylor et al.), church networks and their constituent members are likely an important source of informal support on par with family and friendship relationships. Church networks are certainly deserving of serious inquiry, particularly among population groups such as African Americans that evidence high levels of religious involvement. The purpose of this paper was to investigate a model of the receipt of informal support from church members among African Americans. Informed by the research of Bengtson and colleagues (Bengtson, Olander, & Haddad, 1976; Bengtson & Schraeder, 1982; Silverstein & Bengtson, 1997) on family support networks, the present study proposed and tested a model of church member-based informal social support networks using structural equation modeling techniques and data from a national probability sample of Black Americans. Literature Review The role of church members in the informal social support networks of Black Americans is important for several principal reasons. First, churches and religious participation have played a particularly important role in addressing various supportive needs in African American communities through their involvement in health and social welfare initiatives, community organizing, educational development, and civic endeavors (Billingsley, 1999; Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990; Taylor et al., 2004). Ethnographic and historical research indicates that because of the exclusion and disenfranchisement of African Americans from mainstream societal establishments, religious institutions play a pivotal supportive role in Black communities and are responsive to the support needs of individuals and families (Billingsley; Lincoln & Mamiya). These supportive functions are particularly important given persistent low levels of education and income, relatively high rates of poverty, and access barriers to formally organized services (e.g., health) that characterize segments of the African American population. Research among older Blacks (Taylor & Chatters, 1986) and adult Blacks overall (Taylor & Chatters, 1988) indicate that two-thirds of respondents receive some level of assistance from their church members. Church-based support networks provide a variety of types of assistance, and although the majority of respondents report receiving socioemotional support (e. … more...

Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationships among stress, social support, negative interaction, and mental health in a sample of African American men and women between ages 18 and 54 (N = 591) from the National Comorbidity Study. The study findings indicated that social support decreased the number of depressive symptoms, did not mitigate the effects of stress, and was reduced in response to financial strain. Financial strain and traumatic events were associated with increased negative interaction with relatives and depressive symptoms. The findings verify that stressful and traumatic events have direct influences on levels of depressive symptoms and affect the quality of social interactions and suggest how social interaction processes contribute to mental health. more...

Both emotional support and negative interaction with family members have been linked to mental health. However, few studies have examined the associations between emotional support and negative interaction and psychiatric disorders in late life. This study investigated the relationship between emotional support and negative interaction on lifetime prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders among older African Americans.The analyses utilized the National Survey of American Life.Logistic regression and negative binomial regression analyses were used to examine the effect of emotional support and negative interaction with family members on the prevalence of lifetime DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders.Data from 786 African Americans aged 55 years and older were used.The DSM-IV World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) was used to assess mental disorders. Three dependent variables were investigated: the prevalence of lifetime mood disorders, the prevalence of lifetime anxiety.Multivariate analysis found that emotional support was not associated with any of the three dependent variables. Negative interaction was significantly and positively associated with the odds of having a lifetime mood disorder, a lifetime anxiety disorder and the number of lifetime mood and anxiety disorders.This is the first study to investigate the relationships among emotional support, negative interaction with family members and psychiatric disorders among older African Americans. Negative interaction was a risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders among older African Americans, whereas emotional support was not significant. more...