Acculturation and depression in older Mexican American adults: The role of social support

TitleAcculturation and depression in older Mexican American adults: The role of social support
Publication TypeThesis
Year of Publication2012
AuthorsCaballero, D
AdvisorGuarnaccia, CA
DegreeM.S.
Number of Pages90
UniversityUniversity of North Texas
CityDenton, TX
Accession Numberprod.academic_MSTAR_1335312481
KeywordsAdult children, Demographics, Healthcare, Women and Minorities
Abstract

Despite socioeconomic disadvantages, less acculturated Mexican Americans tend to exhibit better mental health than their more acculturated counterparts. However, in the case of older Mexican American adults, research has demonstrated the opposite to be true (Gonzalez, Haan, & Hinton, 2001). A variable of interest potentially responsible for this difference is social support. Thus, the current study proposed to investigate the mediation and moderation effects that social support has on the relationship between acculturation and depression in older Mexican American adults age 60 or older. Data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) was analyzed. Results showed that the mediating effect of contact with one's children (-.109*) and the moderating effect of total social support and contact with one's children (-.127*; -.103*) were statistically significant in the relationship between acculturation and depression. Although these effects are small they may still hold important implications for better understanding this population.

URLhttps://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc149567/m2/1/high_res_d/thesis.pdf
Endnote Keywords

Socioeconomic Differences

Endnote ID

69020

Citation Key6239