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Functional Limitations and Changes in Levels of Depression Among Older Adults: A Multiple-Hierarchy Stratification Perspective

Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Objectives. This study examined the effects of functional limitations on changes in levels of depression over time. A multiple-hierarchy stratification perspective framed the analyses of potential stratification-based contingencies of race, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Methods. We derived data from a longitudinal study of adults aged 65 and older in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area over a 3-year period (2001–2003). We used ordinary least squares regression models in order to assess the focal associations across a set of social status interaction terms.

Results. Changes in functional limitations were associated with changes in depression, but the patterns depended on interactions among race, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Discussion. These observations contribute to research by blending ideas from double and triple jeopardy and differential vulnerability perspectives. Although analyses of multiple contingencies create analytical challenges, this complexity is needed to accurately specify the mental health effects of functional limitations.

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