The primary goal of the current investigation is to examine the influence of network and psychosocial factors in shaping the course of depression among older women. There has been a growing recognition that regardless of the source of depression, psychosocial factors may impact on the severity, chronicity, and the recurrence of symptoms. We place particular emphasis on the interpersonal context of depression in late life. Understanding the influence of social ties is particularly important for community-dwelling older women because shrinking social networks leave them increasingly reliant on a few key individuals. Prospective studies of depressed older adults typically focus on patient samples. We have chosen to study community-dwelling older women because patient groups are likely to be unrepresentative of the general population of depressed elderly whose depression is frequently unrecognized and untreated. We will begin with cross-sectional comparisons of 200 unipolar depressed and 100 nondepressed community-dwelling women, 65 years of age and older, 30% of whom will be African American. We will examine the importance of recent life events, network embeddedness, appraisals, coping strategies, problem solving abilities, and patterns of social network provisions in differentiating these groups. These comparisons will be made based upon the self-reports of target participants as well as the perspectives of two of their network members. In longitudinal analyses, initially depressed participants will then be assessed at three month intervals for one year. Depression status also will be monitored at two-week intervals by brief telephone contacts. We plan to study the value of individual and network parameters at T1 in predicting the likelihood of positive and negative depressive outcomes. We will compare models that suggest that social network factors have direct positive and negative influences on depressive course versus models that suggest that social networks impact on depression indirectly, via influence on appraisal and coping processes.
| Heller, Kenneth; Viken, Richard J; Swindle Jr, Ralph W (2013) What do network members know? Network members as reporters of depression among Caucasian-American and African-American older women. Aging Ment Health 17:215-25 |
| Heller, Kenneth; Viken, Richard J; Swindle Jr, Ralph W (2010) Screening for depression in African American and Caucasian older women. Aging Ment Health 14:339-46 |
| Swindle Jr, R; Heller, K; Pescosolido, B et al. (2000) Responses to nervous breakdowns in America over a 40-year period. Mental health policy implications. Am Psychol 55:740-9 |
