Depression and older, community-dwelling, African American women

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) 2010 wave, this research examined depression among community-dwelling, African American women, age 50 and over. Depression among this population was examined in relation to age, social support, religion, caregiving, and physical health. Intersectionality and social construction were used as theoretical frameworks for the study. Drawn from an original sample of 22,034 individuals, the sample for this research consisted of 2,249 respondents. Multiple logistic regression was used to predict depression among community-dwelling African American women. Findings indicated significant relationships between depression and age, social support, and physical health. However, religion and caregiving were not found to be significant predictors of depression among this population. Implications for future research, practice and policy are also discussed.