The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #66657

Joyce T Bromberger, PhD, Graduate School of Public Health Dept of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213, 412-624-4570, brombergerjt@msx.upmc.edu, Ada Owens-Youk, PhD, Graduate School of Public Health Dept of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Desoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, and Karen A Matthews, PhD, Departiment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O'hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.

Objective: To determine if socioeconomic, social, and stress factors differentially affect depressive symptoms and social functioning of five ethnic groups: African Americans, Chinese, Hispanics, Japanese, and Whites. Methods: Participants were 3,200 women from the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), a multiethnic, cohort study of menopause and aging. In separate site controlled logistic regressions, the effect of interactions of ethnicity with low education, low income, low social support, high perceived stress and 3+ upsetting events were examined on the separate outcomes of the Center for Epidemiologic Depression Scale (CES-D) score > 16, and poor social functioning, the lowest 25% of the SF-36 subscale. Results: The comparison group is White women with low support, high stress, or 3+ upsetting events. Neither education nor income interactions with ethnicity were significant. Japanese women with high perceived stress had lower odds of a CES-D > 16 (OR=.36; 95% confidence interval,.19-.66), and poor social functioning (OR=.46,.25-.88). Hispanics with high perceived stress had higher odds of poor social functioning (OR=1.66,1.09-2.52). African Americans and Hispanics with low social support had increased odds (OR=1.53,1.07-2.18 and OR=1.53,.96-2.42, respectively) and Japanese with low support had reduced odds (OR=.36,.13-.96) of poor social functioning. African Americans and Hispanics with 3+ upsetting events had higher odds of poor social functioning (OR=1.77,1.23-2.55 and OR=1.97,1.02-3.79, respectively). Conclusions: These data suggest that low support and high stress differentially affect the social functioning and depressive symptoms of ethnic groups of middle-aged women. They underscore the need to increase our understanding of the nature of stresses and resources in the lives of different ethnic groups and how these contribute to health.

Learning Objectives:

Learning Objectives 1. Identify minority ethnic groups of women whose social functioning is affected more or less by resources and stress compared to White women and list what these resources and stress are.
• Recognize the differential impact of psychosocial factors on the health and functioning of ethnic groups.
• Develop approaches for distinguishing the relative impact on women’s health of ethnicity, socioeconomic status (e.g., education, income, neighborhood environment), social resources, and stressors.

Keywords: Ethnic Minorities, Stress

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.