Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
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The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 60:P136-P142 (2005)
© 2005 The Gerontological Society of America

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Black–White Differences in Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults Over Time

Kimberly A. Skarupski1,3,, Carlos F. Mendes de Leon1,3,4, Julia L. Bienias1,3, Lisa L. Barnes2,5,6, Susan A. Everson-Rose1,4,6, Robert S. Wilson1,2,5,6 and Denis A. Evans1,2,3,5

Rush 1 Institute for Healthy Aging
2 Alzheimer's Disease Center
Departments of 3 Internal Medicine
4 Preventive Medicine
5 Neurological Sciences
6 Behavorial Sciences; Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois.

Address correspondence to Kimberly A. Skarupski, PhD, MPH, Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, 1645 W. Jackson, Suite 675, Chicago, IL, 60612-3227. E-mail: Kimberly_Skarupski{at}rush.edu

This study examines racial differences in depressive symptoms among older adults over time. The subjects were 4,275 community-dwelling persons aged 65 and older (62% Black) who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) during a period of 9 years. Depression was measured using a summary score of the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression scale (CES-D). We modeled depressive symptoms using the method of General Estimating Equations and a Poisson error structure. We found a significant race effect at baseline with Blacks reporting approximately 60% more symptoms than Whites ( = 0.467 on the log scale, p<.001). The differences were larger for men than for women. After controlling for age, sex, time, education, income, and related interaction terms, the baseline race effect was reduced by almost half ( = 0.225, p<.001) but remained robust. The racial differences increased slightly over time. Our findings support heightened awareness of depression in older Black populations.






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