{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Types of bereavement and depressive symptoms among older adults: Does race/ethnicity matter?
{Author}: You S;Kim G;
{Journal}: Geriatr Gerontol Int
{Volume}: 24
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 Mar 5
{Factor}: 3.387
{DOI}: 10.1111/ggi.14817
{Abstract}: <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>To explore racial/ethnic differences in relation between types of bereavement and depressive symptoms among older adults in the USA.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>The sample limited to racially/ethnically diverse adults aged ≥55 (n = 879) was drawn from the third wave of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). The NSHAP provides self-identified racial/ethnic categories (non-Hispanic Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics) of respondents who were categorized into three groups by experience of bereavement: non-loss, spousal loss, and parental loss. Using the weights, a two-way analysis of covariance with Bonferroni post-test was conducted to explore the main effect of types of loss and race/ethnicity and their interaction effects on depressive symptoms.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Spousal loss reported higher levels of depressive symptoms than non-loss or parental loss. Based on the interaction between types of loss and race/ethnicity; however, distinctive patterns were observed. Blacks and Hispanics who lose a parent reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than non-Hispanic Whites did.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>An increase in depressive symptoms after bereavement manifested distinctively based on racial/ethnic background and the relationship with the deceased. This implies that it is necessary to develop coping strategies concerning race/ethnicity and whom they lose. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 266-272.