The effects of gender and social isolation on depression among older Americans.

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dc.contributor.advisorReed, Douglas P.
dc.contributor.authorDarling, Jennifer E.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberFord, David
dc.contributor.committeeMemberCopley, Leeda
dc.date.accessioned2020-07-09T14:39:03Z
dc.date.available2020-07-09T14:39:03Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractThe number of older adults is expected to increase in the near future. Since women live longer than men, women tend to have more complex social networks than men, and women report higher rates of depression than men, it is important to determine whether gender and social isolation affect the rates of depressive symptoms reported by older adults. This thesis seeks to determine the relationship between gender and social isolation and the influence of these variables on depressive symptoms in older adults using selected data from two sections of the 2012 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was performed in SPSS in order to determine the main effects relationship between the dependent variable, depression, and independent variables, gender and social isolation. Two additional models were examined to test whether social isolation had a mediating and/or moderating effect on gender's relationship to depressive symptoms. As expected, women average more depressive symptoms than men; however, several aspects of social support, such as living with a spouse or partner, contact with children, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion, decreased depressive symptoms. Contact with children, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion moderated depressive symptoms. All five social isolation variables -- living with a spouse or partner, contact with children, contact with family, contact with friends, and neighborhood cohesion -- mediated depressive symptoms for gender. These results suggest that social isolation not only has a direct effect, but also moderates and mediates depressive symptoms for gender. This research supports the hypothesis that depressive symptoms are associated with gender and social isolation.
dc.identifier.oclc(OCoLC)ocn971256690
dc.identifier.other(AlmaMMSId)9982523573502196
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11244/325005
dc.rightsAll rights reserved by the author, who has granted UCO Chambers Library the non-exclusive right to share this material in its online repositories. Contact UCO Chambers Library's Digital Initiatives Working Group at diwg@uco.edu for the permission policy on the use, reproduction or distribution of this material.
dc.subject.keywordsAging
dc.subject.keywordsDepression
dc.subject.keywordsElderly
dc.subject.keywordsGender
dc.subject.keywordsGerontology
dc.subject.keywordsSocial isolation
dc.subject.lcshDepression in old age
dc.subject.lcshSocial isolation
dc.subject.lcshSex
dc.subject.lcshOlder people
dc.thesis.degreeM.A., Gerontology
dc.titleThe effects of gender and social isolation on depression among older Americans.
dc.typeAcademic theses
thesis.degree.grantorJackson College of Graduate Studies.
uco.groupUCO - Graduate Works and Theses::UCO - Theses

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