Emotional disorders and support among elders in an African-American community

This study based on a community health survey which aims to: 1) Describe prevalence of emotional disorders among elders (60 years and over) in an inner-city African-American community. 2) Identify risk factors for absence of emotional support 3) Determine target groups for mental health interventions. 4) Develop programmatic recommendations. We found that 14.1% (95% CI 8.6%-19.7%) of the elders self-reported depression or other mental disorders; 30.7% (22.8%-38.5%) had been bothered by emotional problems during the past month; 22.9% (12.0%-33.9%) did not have anyone to count on for emotional support. For elders who lived alone in the community, the prevalence was 18.1% (11.5%-24.8%), 33.8% (26.7%-40.9), and 28.4% (13.4%-43.4%), respectively. Among the elders living alone, those who had limited social activities or were socially isolated, were 86% less likely (adjusted OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.03-0.73) to be able to count on someone for emotional support compared to those that were not isolated. Elders without health insurance were 76% less likely (adjusted OR 0.24, 0.06-0.89) to have someone to count on for emotional support than those who had insurance. However, the findings were not observed among the elders who lived with others in the community. Uninsured elders, who live alone and have limited social activities, might be the target group for mental health programs. To improve mental health and alleviate the paucity of emotional support in this population by utilizing the city's safe-net clinics and partnering with community-based organizations to proactively provide mental health services for this population are feasible strategies.