Marriage and the Depressive Symptom Trajectories of Older Mexican-Americans in the U.S.

• In Event: 343 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 15. Relationship Status and Health

Abstract

Although evidence of the association between marital status and mental health is well established in the general non-Hispanic white population, knowledge of how this relationship varies by race/ethnicity is less well-known. This study uses longitudinal survey data from six waves of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (1993-2007) to examine if marital status is predictive of depressive symptom trajectories. Using latent growth curve analysis, I examine if marital status at baseline is predictive of depressive symptomology trajectories and changes in these trajectories over time. Finally, I examine how background characteristics influence the association between marital status and depressive symptom trajectories, including self-reported health, life satisfaction, age, gender, education, financial strain, and income. Results suggest depressive symptom trajectories can be predicted by marital status in that married individuals report less depressive symptoms than their unmarried counterparts. Over time; however, this inequality remains persistent and does not change. When including background characteristics, the protective effect of marriage on mental health is explained away by gender, self-reported health, and life satisfaction. These findings illustrate that the ability of marriage to protect mental health may vary within different non-Hispanic white racial and ethnic groups. This is important since understanding the patterns and mechanisms that affect Mexican-American health will be vital within this aging population and for overall population health

Author

• Shannon Leigh Sabo, Florida State University