Adults aged 50 years and older are a growing segment of the population and are more likely than their younger counterparts to experience significant stressors such as the death of a relative or friend, onset of chronic conditions, and increased health burden. The current studies use Pearlin's stress process model to evaluate the impact of these stressors on outcomes of depression. Study 1 used Wave 1 data from the ORANJ BOWL research panel of 5,688 New Jersey residents aged 50 and older to explore the relationship between relational life events, private religious practices, and depressed mood. Cross-sectional structural equation modeling was used to evaluate these relationships. Results showed that relational life events had a significant positive influence on depressive symptoms and this relationship was partially mediated by private religious practices. Findings indicate that non-personal life events are important sources of stress that may otherwise be overlooked when assessing risk factors among older adults. Study 2 used data from 640 men from the Research on Older Adults with HIV (ROAH) study to evaluate the impact of HIV-related health burden on depressed mood and to assess the mitigating effects of social support adequacy. Structural equation modeling showed that greater health burden was associated with more depressive symptoms; this relationship was significantly partially mediated by emotional support adequacy, which was a measure of unmet social need. Findings indicate that health burden has a cumulative impact on psychological health and programs and supports that target social wellness can improve this relationship. These studies point to the importance of understanding sources of risk and resilience among older people and in an attempt to improve overall health outcomes. / Ph. D. / Older adults constitute a growing portion of the population in the United States and around the world. Better understanding of challenges older adults face, including stressful life events and changes in health, could contribute to better outcomes in their later years. Two studies were designed to: (1) understand the relationship between events that affect one’s friends and family (i.e., relational life events) and feelings of depression, and explore whether religious expression is useful in reducing stress; and (2) evaluate the influence of health burden on feelings of depression in older adults with HIV and understand how social support can reduce stress from living with HIV. Data for this work come from the ORANJ BOWL research panel of interviews with 5,688 New Jersey adults and the Research on Older Adults with HIV (ROAH) study of 914 New York City residents aged 50 and older with HIV in 2005. Findings from the first study show that relational life events are associated with more depressive symptoms and more private religious expression. Thus, relational life events are an important risk factor to which family members and health service providers should pay attention. Findings from the second study demonstrate that more health difficulties in people with HIV is associated with more depressive symptoms. This is especially true when self-rated health is poorer and the number of overall chronic conditions are greater. Social support is an important resilience factor that lessens the influence of health burden on psychological health, so relatives and service providers should promote social wellness in addition to HIV treatment-specific interventions. Together, the results of these studies reveal numerous risk and resilience factors to consider when working to improve the lives of older people.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/95028 |
| Date | 30 April 2018 |
| Creators | Ogletree, Aaron M. |
| Contributors | Adult Learning and Human Resource Development, Sands, Laura P., Blieszner, Rosemary, Roberto, Karen A., Pruchno, Rachel A. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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