Stress,Depression, and Drug Use Among Aging Mexican American Men Living in the Barrio |
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| Authors: | Yolanda R. Villarreal Luis R. Torres Angela Stotts Yi Ren McClain Sampson Patrick S. Bordnick |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Family Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA;2. Associate Dean of Research and Strategic Partnerships, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA;3. Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA;4. Student, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA;5. Assistant Professor, Graduate College in Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA;6. Director, Virtual Reality Research Lab (VRCRL) and Director, Child and Family Center for Innovative Research (CFCIR), Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA |
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| Abstract: | ![]()
Residing in Mexican American barrios might place individuals at heightened risk for chronic financial and acute stress, which are associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Stressors could be exacerbated for substance users. This research explores relations between chronic financial stress, acute stress, and depressive symptomatology among aging Mexican American heroin and other drug-using men. A prospective cohort study and field-intensive outreach methodology were used to recruit 227 men for in-depth interviews. Participants were categorized into depressed and nondepressed groups based on symptomatology measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Chronic financial stress (i.e., poverty) and acute stress (i.e., Life Events Questionnaire) associated with depressive symptomatology were tested using logistic regression. Findings suggest scores of depressive symptoms among substance users are highly related to chronic financial stress. Community-level interventions targeting chronic stressors present in the barrio could be especially salient in improving the mental health of Latino drug users. |
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| Keywords: | acute stress barrio chronic financial stress depression men Mexican American older Latinos substance use |
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