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Acculturation and Depressive Symptoms in Hispanic Older Adults: Does Perceived Ethnic Density Moderate their Relationship?

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An Erratum to this article was published on 31 March 2015

Abstract

The negative impact of low acculturation on mental health in Hispanic older adults is widely known. The current study examined whether this association varied by a perceived density of people with same racial/ethnic backgrounds in neighborhoods. We hypothesized that the negative impact of low acculturation on mental health would be pronounced when they lived in neighborhoods with a low density of Hispanics. Using data from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (n = 1,267), hierarchical regression models of depressive symptoms were estimated with sets of predictors: (1) demographic variables, (2) acculturation, (3) perceived density of Hispanics in neighborhoods, and (4) an interaction between acculturation and perceived density of Hispanics. Supporting the hypothesis, the impact of acculturation on depressive symptoms was found to be moderated by the perceived density of Hispanics in neighborhoods. Findings suggest the importance of neighborhood characteristics in the lives of immigrant older adults.

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Fig. 1

Notes

  1. Those for who were included in the present study were more likely to be younger, male, married, more affluent, and more acculturated compared to those were excluded. No difference in education, the perceived density of Hispanics and depressive symptoms was observed.

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Acknowledgments

Data used for this study was provided by the longitudinal study titled “Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging,” (SALSA) managed by the Institute on Aging, University of Wisconsin and supported by the National Institute on Aging (P01-AG020166).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, College of Arts and Sciences, Saint Louis University, 3750 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63108, USA

    Kyung Hwa Kwag

  2. School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Yuri Jang

  3. Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    David A. Chiriboga

Authors
  1. Kyung Hwa Kwag
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  2. Yuri Jang
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  3. David A. Chiriboga
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kyung Hwa Kwag.

Additional information

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0200-6.

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Kwag, K.H., Jang, Y. & Chiriboga, D.A. Acculturation and Depressive Symptoms in Hispanic Older Adults: Does Perceived Ethnic Density Moderate their Relationship?. J Immigrant Minority Health 14, 1107–1111 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-011-9569-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-011-9569-z

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