DEPRESSION & ANXIETY DISORDER IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS

这项研究旨在研究3组老年人（55岁及以上）非洲 美国人-土生土长的、英属加勒比人、法属/克里奥尔人加勒比人-和 高加索人对照组，以便：1）建立因素模型 在不同年龄段的人中， 非裔美国人族群; 2）开发一个预测因素模型 利用正式和非正式的心理健康援助来源 在患有临床精神疾病的老年非裔美国人中， 3）获得关于不同种族群体的发病率的流行率数据; 抑郁症和焦虑症与各种非裔美国人种族 （4）确定是否存在每个因素 可能影响抑郁症患病率的种族群体， 焦虑症; 5）获得抑郁症症状表现的数据 和焦虑的各种非洲裔美国人群体; 6）确定是否 每个种族群体中有可能影响症状的任何因素， 治疗模式; 7）检查临床筛选中的潜在偏倚 工具，并修改这些工具，使其有效使用 各种各样的非裔美国人族群 这项研究强调了社会文化的异质性，这是固有的， 非裔美国人，故意利用群体内的 作为理解差异风险的一种手段， 探索精神疾病的自然缓冲区。 研究 利用了纽约州立大学健康科学中心位于心脏的事实， 布鲁克林;后者有大量的非洲裔美国人，包括 是美国最大的非洲裔加勒比人。 最近 研究表明，组内差异可能比 组间差异的特征用于区分 种族，早期的工作未能确定具体方面， 文化和相关的变量被认为会影响行为。 本项目着眼于收入等结构变量， 教育和职业，以及对文化最具渗透性的变量 影响，即1）联系模式和2）认知维度 比如信仰和态度。 受访者来自社区和 医院和精神健康诊所，以比较用户和非用户 心理健康资源的用户，因此可以回答问题， 是影响精神疾病的正式和非正式资源， 本地出生和加勒比出生的老年非裔美国人。 共1000 社区居民和400名住院和门诊病人， 三个非洲裔美国人和高加索人对照组，将接受 2小时的采访，包括143个工具。 该项目将 在5年内完成。 这些发现将具有重要意义 对卫生服务提供者和决策者的影响。

This study aims to examine 3 groups of older (age 55 and over) African Americans--native-born, English Caribbean, French/Creole Caribbean--and a Caucasian comparison group, in order to: 1) Develop a model of factors that foster and moderate depression and anxiety among various aging African-American ethnic groups; 2) Develop a model of factors that predict utilization of formal and informal sources of mental health assistance among aging African-Americans with clinical psychiatric disorders who come from different ethnic groups; 3) Obtain prevalence data on the rates of depression and anxiety disorders with various African American ethnic groups in the community; 4) Determine if there are factors within each ethnic group that may influence the prevalence rates of depressive and anxiety disorders; 5) Obtain data on symptom presentation of depression and anxiety among various African American ethnic groups; 6) Determine if there are any factors within each ethnic group that may affect symptom and treatment patterns; 7) Examine potential biases in clinical screening instruments and to modify such instruments so that they are valid for use with the various Afro-American ethnic groups under examination. The study stresses the socio-cultural heterogeneity that is inherent in the African American populations, deliberately making use of within-group variability as a means of understanding differential risk and as a means of exploring naturally-occurring buffers to mental illness. The study draws on the fact that SUNY Health Science Center is situated in the heart of Brooklyn; the latter has a large Afro-American population, including the largest Afro-Caribbean population in the United States. Recent research indicates that there may be more within-group differences than between-group differences in the characteristics used to differentiate the races, and that earlier work has failed to identify the specific aspects of culture and related variable that are thought to influence behavior. The present project looks at structural variables such as income, education, and occupation, as well as variable most permeable to cultural influence namely, 1) patterns of affiliation and 2) cognitive dimensions such as beliefs and attitudes. Respondents come from both community and hospitals and mental health clinics in order to compare users and non- users of mental health resources, and thus can answer questions as to what are the formal and informal resources that affect mental illness among native-born and Caribbean-born elderly Afro-Americans. A total of 1000 community residents and 400 in- and out-patients, divided equally among the three Afro-American and the Caucasian comparison groups, will receive a 2-hour interview comprising 143 instruments. The project will be completed over a 5-year period. The findings will have important implications for health providers and policy-makers.