Exploring Age Cohort Variation in the Mental Health Effects of the Great Recession

• In Event: 343 - Section on Medical Sociology Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 23. Politics, Economic Issues, and Health

Abstract

There is growing recognition that the economic hardships linked with the Great Recession have made the U.S. population as a whole more anxious and more distressed. However, we are aware of no study that has considered age cohort variation in the mental health effects of this economic crisis. To this end, the present study tests four hypotheses: (1) Hypothesis 1 (H1): symptoms of depression and anxiety vary across the baby boomer, Generation X and millennial age cohorts; (2) Hypothesis 2 (H2): economic stressors are associated with both depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms; (3) Hypothesis 3 (H3) age cohorts and economic stressors interact in the prediction of depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms, respectively; and (4) Hypothesis 4 (H4): active and avoidant coping strategies mediate any observed age cohort-based effects of economic stressors on depressive symptoms and symptoms of anxiety. We test these hypotheses controlling for the socio-demographic characteristics of age, education and race/ethnicity.

Authors

• Robyn Lewis Brown, DePaul University

• Judith A. Richman, University of Illinois-Chicago

• Kathleen M. Rospenda, University of Illinois-Chicago