Journal article
Is neighborhood racial/ethnic composition associated with depressive symptoms? The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis
Social science & medicine (1982), v 71(3), pp 541-550
Aug 2010
PMID: 20541303
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The racial/ethnic composition of a neighborhood may be related to residents’ depressive symptoms through differential levels of neighborhood social support and/or stressors. We used the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis to investigate cross-sectional associations of neighborhood racial/ethnic composition with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale in adults aged 45–84. The key exposure was a census-derived measure of the percentage of residents of the same racial/ethnic background in each participant’s census tract. Two-level multilevel models were used to estimate associations of neighborhood racial/ethnic composition with CES-D scores after controlling for age, income, marital status, education and nativity. We found that living in a neighborhood with a higher percentage of residents of the same race/ethnicity was associated with increased CES-D scores in African American men (p < 0.05), and decreased CES-D scores in Hispanic men and women and Chinese women, although these differences were not statistically significant. Models were further adjusted for neighborhood-level covariates (social cohesion, safety, problems, aesthetic quality and socioeconomic factors) derived from survey responses and census data. Adjusting for other neighborhood characteristics strengthened protective associations amongst Hispanics, but did not change the significant associations in African American men. These results demonstrate heterogeneity in the associations of race/ethnic composition with mental health and the need for further exploration of which aspects of neighborhood environments may contribute to these associations.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Is neighborhood racial/ethnic composition associated with depressive symptoms? The multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis
- Creators
- Christina Mair (Corresponding Author) - University of MichiganAna V. Diez Roux - University of MichiganTheresa L. Osypuk - Northeastern UniversityStephen R. Rapp - Wake Forest UniversityTeresa Seeman - University of California, Los AngelesKarol E. Watson - University of California, Los Angeles
- Publication Details
- Social science & medicine (1982), v 71(3), pp 541-550
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Urban Health Collaborative; Epidemiology and Biostatistics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000280120100016
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-77954034606
- Other Identifier
- 991020111972804721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
- Social Sciences, Biomedical