Neighborhood context, personality, and stressful life events as predictors of depression among African American women.
The authors tested neighborhood context, negative life events, and negative affectivity as predictors of the onset of major depression among 720 African American women. Neighborhood-level economic disadvantage (e.g., percentage of residents below the poverty line) and social disorder (e.g., delinquency, drug use) predicted the onset of major depression when controlling for individual-level demographic characteristics. Neighborhood-level disadvantage/disorder interacted with negative life events, such that women who experienced recent negative life events and lived in high disadvantage/disorder neighborhoods were more likely to become depressed than were those who lived in more benign settings, both concurrently and over a 2-year period. Neighborhood disadvantage/disorder can be viewed as a vulnerability factor that increases susceptibility to depression following the experience of negative life events.
Cutrona
Carolyn E
CE
Department of Psychology, Iowa State University.
Russell
Daniel W
DW
0000-0003-2264-861X
Department of Psychology, Iowa State University.
Brown
P Adama
PA
Institute for Social and Behavioral Research, Iowa State University.
Clark
Lee Anna
LA
Department of Psychology, University of Iowa.
Hessling
Robert M
RM
Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
Gardner
Kelli A
KA
Department of Psychology, Iowa State University.
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008875:Middle Aged; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires