The Environment and Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults

Vulnerability to depression might increase with neurotransmitter receptor polymorphisms, challenging early-life events (e.g., neglect and abuse), and interpersonal, vocational, and financial stressors. These researchers used data from the prospective New York City Neighborhood and Mental Health in the Elderly Study (NYCNAMES) to examine neighborhood factors that might influence depressive symptoms in people older than age 50. NYCNAMES collected data at the individual and census-tract levels in 2005, with a follow-up in 2007 (1325 enrollees; follow-up rate, 62%).

After adjustment for several individual-level factors (e.g., individual sociodemographics and functional physical status), positive neighborhood socioeconomic influence (i.e., high a…