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Dana Miller-Martinez, MPH1, Carol S. Aneshensel, PhD1, Richard G. Wight, PhD1, Amanda Botticello, MPH1, Teresa E. Seeman, PhD2, and Arun Karlamangla, PhD, MD2. (1) Department of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 650 Charles E. Young Drive South, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, 310-794-9391, danamill@ucla.edu, (2) Division of Geriatrics, School of Medicine, UCLA, Box 951687, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1687
Characteristics of the local neighborhood environment have been linked to the emotional well-being of its residents, particularly in studies of adults and adolescents. However, this linkage has not been examined specifically for older adults for whom neighborhood may be especially consequential because these individuals tend to spend more time in their homes and neighborhoods. This study examines depressive symptomatology among older adults, while simultaneously controlling for individual-level sociodemographic risk factors and the clustering of individuals at the neighborhood level using hierarchical linear modeling. Data are from the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD), a national probability sample of 8,222 non-institutionalized persons aged 70 or older. Depressive symptoms are measured with an 8-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; α = .78). Individual-level risk factors examined included: age, gender, education, marital status, race/ethnicity, ADL/IADL limitations, cognitive function, and medical history. Preliminary analyses reveal that Hispanics, females, unmarried individuals, persons with lower education, lower cognitive function, more ADL/IADL problems, more medical conditions, heart problems, and psychiatric problems have higher levels of depressive symptomatology, controlling for contextual effects. Lower levels of depressive symptoms are associated with higher education, and being married. Importantly, these analyses also indicate that significant contextual effects remain in symptomatology after partitioning out the effects of individual-level predictors. Implications of the influence of contextual effects on the mental health outcomes of older adults living in the community will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.