DEPRESSION & ANXIETY DISORDER IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS

这项研究旨在调查三组年龄较大(55岁及以上)的非洲人 美国人--土生土长的，英语加勒比海人，法语/克里奥尔加勒比海人--和一个 高加索对照组，目的是：1)建立因素模型 在不同年龄的人中培养和适度的抑郁和焦虑 非裔美国人族群；2)开发一个预测因素的模型 利用正式和非正式的精神健康援助来源 在患有临床精神障碍的老年非裔美国人中 来自不同种族的人；3)获得以下比率的流行数据 不同非裔美国人的抑郁症和焦虑症 社区中的群体；4)确定每个群体中是否存在因素 可能影响抑郁症和抑郁症患病率的民族 焦虑症；5)获得抑郁症症状表现的数据 和不同非裔美国人族群的焦虑；6)确定 在每个民族中是否有任何因素可能会影响症状和 治疗模式；7)检查临床筛查中的潜在偏倚 并对这些文书进行修改，使其可有效使用 不同的非裔美国人族群正在接受审查。 这项研究强调了社会文化的异质性 非裔美国人群体，故意利用群体内部 可变性是理解差别风险的一种手段，也是一种手段 探索自然发生的精神疾病的缓冲作用。这项研究 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；后者有大量的非裔美国人，包括 是美国最大的非洲裔加勒比人口。近期 研究表明，群体内部的差异可能比 用于区分组间差异的特征 种族，而早期的工作未能确定具体的方面 被认为影响行为的文化和相关变量。 本项目着眼于结构性变量，如收入、 教育和职业，以及对文化最具渗透性的变量 影响，即1)从属关系模式和2)认知维度 比如信仰和态度。受访者来自社区和 医院和精神卫生诊所，以比较使用者和非使用者 心理健康资源的使用者，从而可以回答关于什么的问题 影响精神疾病的正式和非正式资源包括 土生土长的和加勒比出生的老年非裔美国人。总共1000个 社区居民和400名住院和门诊患者，平均分配 三个非裔美国人和高加索人比较组，将获得 一次两小时的访谈，包括143种乐器。该项目将是 在5年内完成。这些发现将具有重要的意义 对卫生服务提供者和政策制定者的影响。

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.