Emotional support, negative interaction and DSM IV lifetime disorders among older African Americans: findings from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL).
OBJECTIVE
Both emotional support and negative interaction with family members have been linked to mental health. However, few studies have examined the associations between emotional support and negative interaction and psychiatric disorders in late life. This study investigated the relationship between emotional support and negative interaction on lifetime prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders among older African Americans.


METHODS
The analyses utilized the National Survey of American Life.


METHODS
Logistic regression and negative binomial regression analyses were used to examine the effect of emotional support and negative interaction with family members on the prevalence of lifetime DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders.


METHODS
Data from 786 African Americans aged 55 years and older were used.


METHODS
The DSM-IV World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WMH-CIDI) was used to assess mental disorders. Three dependent variables were investigated: the prevalence of lifetime mood disorders, the prevalence of lifetime anxiety.


RESULTS
Multivariate analysis found that emotional support was not associated with any of the three dependent variables. Negative interaction was significantly and positively associated with the odds of having a lifetime mood disorder, a lifetime anxiety disorder and the number of lifetime mood and anxiety disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study to investigate the relationships among emotional support, negative interaction with family members and psychiatric disorders among older African Americans. Negative interaction was a risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders among older African Americans, whereas emotional support was not significant.
School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. klincoln@usc.edu
Karen D
KD
Lincoln
Robert Joseph
RJ
Taylor
Kai McKeever
KM
Bullard
Linda M
LM
Chatters
Amanda Toler
AT
Woodward
Joseph A
JA
Himle
James S
JS
Jackson
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D005852:Geriatric Psychiatry; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology