DEPRESSION AMONG ETHNICALLY DIVERSE OLDER WOMEN: THE ROLE OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND COGNITIVE FACTORS

Abstract

Research has identified a strong relationship between depression and demographic factors such as income and widowed status. Prior studies have also linked common cognitive “slips” to depressive symptomatology. However, very little research has investigated these relationships with respect to the older adult population, particularly within ethnic minorities. To address this gap in the literature, the present study examined the contribution of demographic and cognitive factors to depressive symptomatology among 228 noninstitutionalized women (60 years of age or older) from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The findings identified a significant relationship between depressive symptomatology and cognitive failure, low income, and Middle-Eastern or American-Indian descent.

This research was supported by NIH Grants # 3 S06 GM048680-0851 and # GM062019.

The authors acknowledge Nicholas Robinson, B.A.; the members of the Adult Behavioral Medicine Laboratory at California State University Northridge; the dedicated students enrolled in the Psychology of Aging class taught by Dr. Laganà; and the research participants for their collaboration on this project.

Notes

Note. The median age of the study sample was 71 years.

Note. R ² = .282 for the full regression model.

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .0001