Daily discrimination, church support, personal mastery, and psychological distress in black people in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: This study used the stress process model to test the mediating effects of personal mastery and moderating effects of church-based social support on the relationship between daily discrimination and psychological distress across three age groups of African American and Afro-Caribbean adults. METHODS: Using a national sample of 5008 African Americans and Afro-Caribbean adults from the National Survey of American Life Study, this study employs structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships between daily discrimination, personal mastery, church-based social support, and psychological distress. RESULTS: Daily discrimination was an independent predictor of psychological distress across all groups. Group- and age-specific comparisons revealed significant differences in the experience of daily discrimination and psychological distress. Mastery was a partial mediator of the relationship between discrimination and psychological distress among Afro-Caribbeans while church support was a significant moderator only among the young and older African Americans. IMPLICATIONS: Together, our study findings provide useful first steps towards developing interventions to reduce the adverse psychological impacts of daily discrimination on African Americans and Afro-Caribbeans. Intervention efforts such as individual psychotherapy aimed to improve Afro-Caribbean individuals' sense of mastery would be a partial solution to alleviating the adverse effects of discrimination on their psychological health.

Suicidal ideation in older Ghanaian women: The roles of bodily pain, functional limitation, and chronic health conditions.

BACKGROUND: Although approximately 79% of the world's suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the limited research in these regions has primarily focused on the rates of suicide attempts (SA) and ideation among men and younger members of the population. AIM: This study investigated the associations between bodily pain, functional limitation, chronic health conditions, and suicidal ideation among older Ghanaian women with a positive screen for depression. METHODS: Data was obtained from the World Health Organization's Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Ghana Wave 1, a nationally representative sample. Based on the interpersonal theory of suicide, we used logistic regression analysis to investigate the associations between the variables. RESULTS: Functional limitation, bodily pain, hopelessness, and hypertension were significantly associated with a higher risk of suicidal ideation after accounting for sociodemographic and other confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: Early interventions designed to decrease hopelessness, hypertension, and functional limitations may lead to reduced suicide ideation among older Ghanaian women who screen positive for depression.

Sociodemographic, Health, and Caregiving Patterns of Aging Caregivers in Oregon: Gender Comparisons and the Role of Leisure Activities.

Recent studies have projected an increase in aging informal caregivers who are often dealing with their frailty. However, little is known about their health, caregiving factors, or coping resources that promote health. Informed by lifespan perspective and health behavior models, this study examined the gender differences in health and caregiving profiles of aging informal caregivers and investigated the association between leisure activity and unhealthy days. A sample of 565 informal caregivers (>50 years) was drawn from the Oregon version of the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Descriptive analyses revealed that the caregivers were mainly women between 60 and 69, White non-Hispanic, married, college graduates, retired and healthinsured. Negative binomial regression showed that leisure activities were related to fewer odds of reporting unhealthy days for most comparison scenarios. Findings emphasize the importance of accounting for group differences and similarities in understanding health and caregiving factors among informal caregivers.

Social Capital Among Black South African Grandmothers Raising Grandchildren.

While the significance of social capital to the well-being of black South African grandmothers raising grandchildren has been well documented, few studies have systemically investigated the sources, types, and patterns of use of social capital in this population. The aim of the current qualitative study is to use the social capital framework to explore how 75 grandmothers accessed and utilized available social capital (i.e., bridging, bonding, and linking) to enhance their own and their families' well-being. Results from a thematic analysis revealed an inside-out pattern of social capital; bonding and bridging social capital were the most significant sources of immediate support for grandmothers, with relatives providing emotional and instrumental support and neighbors and friends mainly providing informational support. Linking capital (i.e., government and community leaders) helped grandmothers access public resources. Implications for policy and practice are addressed.

Depressive Symptoms Among Aging Hispanic Americans: Longitudinal Effects of Positive Spousal Support and Previous Depressive Symptoms.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the longitudinal effects of spousal support on aging Hispanic Americans' depressive symptoms using population-based data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Method: Using hierarchical multiple regressions, we investigated whether baseline positive spousal support and previous depressive symptoms were significant predictors of depressive symptoms 8 years later in a sample of 264 aging Hispanic Americans. Results: We discovered that previous depressive symptoms, baseline chronic conditions, and positive spousal support were all significant predictors of long-term depressive symptoms. Discussion: Our findings underline the need to address persistent depression and chronic diseases in the aging Hispanic population. We also highlight the potential benefits of empowering spouses as a resource for promoting mental health in this group. These findings are also encouraging for future studies in depression, aging, and comorbidity, especially in the vastly increasing population of aging Hispanic Americans.