title: Can social policy influence socioeconomic disparities? Korean War GI Bill eligibility and markers of depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Korean War GI Bill provided socioeconomic benefits to veterans; however, its association with health is unclear; we hypothesize GI Bill eligibility is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and smaller disparities.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 246 Korean War GI Bill eligible veterans and 240 nonveterans from the Health and Retirement Study were matched on birth year, southern birth, race, height, and childhood health using coarsened exact matching. Number of depressive symptoms in 2010 (average age = 78 years) was assessed using a modified, validated Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, dichotomized to reflect elevated depressive symptoms. Regression analyses were stratified into low (at least one parent < 8 years schooling/missing data, n = 167) or high (both parents ≥ 8 years schooling, n = 319) childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Korean War GI Bill eligibility predicted fewer depressive symptoms among individuals from low cSES backgrounds [β = -0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (-1.18, -0.09), P = .022]. Socioeconomic disparities were smaller among veterans than nonveterans for number of depressive symptoms [β = -0.76, 95% CI = (-1.33, -0.18), P = .010] and elevated depressive symptoms [β = -11.7, 95% CI = (-8.2, -22.6), P = .035].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Korean War GI Bill eligibility predicted smaller socioeconomic disparities in depression markers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Electronic address: avable@hsph.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Anusha M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vable
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Populations, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Canning
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco.
authors.forename: M Maria
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Glymour
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kawachi
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI.
authors.forename: Marcia P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Subu V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Subramanian
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D047869:Korean War; D008297:Male; D011640:Public Policy; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Depression; GI Bill; Health disparities; Korean War; Lifecourse; Socio economic status; Veterans