This revised application builds on the 1992-3 NIMH study of Social Relations and Mental Health over the Life Course which included 1703 men and women, 205 mother-child dyads, and 30% African Americans. The closed cohort longitudinal design proposes a reinterview of the entire sample, permitting the examination of both cross sectional as well as longitudinal changes in social relations and mental health as well as the addition of an intra-family three generation design. Previous results suggest that intra-family intergenerational context may be critical for explaining concurrent and predictive mental health. We will also capitalize on an ongoing collaboration with Japanese scholars, funded by the Japanese government, which included a parallel study in 1993 and a planned replication in 2003.
The specific aims are: 1. To conduct a closed cohort longitudinal study, which will provide, ten years later, a second assessment of the multifaceted aspects of social relations (i.e. social network, social support and support quality characteristics), stress, and mental health. 2. To examine the overall model, presented in Figure 1, which outlines the hypothesized associations among social relations and mental health, beginning with the new cross-sectional data and continuing with the longitudinal analyses of the model. 3. To identify and explore the nature of intergenerational linkages and examine comparatively their structure and function, as affected by age, gender and race. 4. To explore the implications of the beanpole vs. pyramid structures, support and solidarity and conflict among generation members and the influences on mental health. 5. To explore the growing social service needs and utilization patterns across generations and within families. The proposed study will provide a unique opportunity to examine the role of social and cultural factors for the etiology and consequences of mental health. We anticipate that these data will be especially useful for policy makers who seek to understand, predict and design support programs to offset the challenges facing individuals, families and society in the new century.
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