Urban neighborhoods and depressive symptoms among older adults.

TitleUrban neighborhoods and depressive symptoms among older adults.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2007
AuthorsAneshensel, CS, Wight, RG, Miller-Martinez, D, Botticello, AL, Karlamangla, AS, Seeman, T
JournalJ Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
Volume62
Issue1
PaginationS52-9
Date Published2007 Jan
ISSN Number1079-5014
Call Numbernewpubs20070403_Aneshensel_etal
KeywordsActivities of Daily Living, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Comorbidity, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depressive Disorder, Female, Health Status Indicators, Health Surveys, Humans, Incidence, Male, Minority Groups, Peer Group, Population Dynamics, Risk Factors, Social Environment, United States, Urban Population
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to determine whether depressive symptoms among older persons systematically vary across urban neighborhoods such that experiencing more symptoms is associated with low socioeconomic status (SES), high concentrations of ethnic minorities, low residential stability and low proportion aged 65 years and older.

METHODS: Survey data are from the Study of Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old (AHEAD), a 1993 U.S. national probability sample of noninstitutionalized persons born in 1923 or earlier (i.e. people aged 70 or older). Neighborhood data are from the 1990 Census at the tract level. Hierarchical linear regression is used to estimate multilevel models.

RESULT: The average number of depressive symptoms varies across Census tracts independent of individual-level characteristics. Symptoms are not significantly associated with neighborhood SES, ethnic composition, or age structure when individual-level characteristics are controlled statistically. However, net of individual-level characteristics, symptoms are positively associated with neighborhood residential stability, pointing to a complex meaning of residential stability for the older population.

DISCUSSION: This study shows that apparent neighborhood-level socioeconomic effects on depressive symptoms among urban-dwelling older adults are largely if not entirely compositional in nature. Further, residential stability in the urban neighborhood may not be emotionally beneficial to its aged residents.

DOI10.1093/geronb/62.1.s52
User Guide Notes

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17284567?dopt=Abstract

Endnote Keywords

Depressive Symptoms/Socioeconomic Factors/Urban Population

Endnote ID

17280

Alternate JournalJ Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci
Citation Key7133
PubMed ID17284567
Grant ListR01 AG022537 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States