title: Effect of immigrant status on risk of depressive symptoms associated with spouse's chronic conditions.
abstract: The aim of this prospective cohort study was to assess whether the prevalence of chronic disease of one spouse would be associated with a change in depressive symptoms of the other spouse and whether this relationship varies by immigrant status. Negative binomial regression was used to calculate risk ratios from a matched sample of 553 husbands and 553 wives aged 65 years or older of Mexican Americans. Overall, prevalence of chronic disease of one spouse was associated with change in high depressive symptoms for the other spouse. When the results were stratified by immigrant status, respondents born in the US exhibited higher risk of depressive symptoms associated with the chronic conditions of their spouse, while foreign born respondents did not exhibit higher risk for depressive symptoms. These findings highlight how immigrant status and the marital relationship may be related to chronic disease and depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Educational and Administration Building, 3500 Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth, 76107-2699 TX, USA. jstimpso@hsc.unt.edu
authors.forename: Jim P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Stimpson
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eschbach
authors.forename: M Kristen
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Peek
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D004493:Education; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D017058:Mexican Americans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States