The effect of financial strain and language of interview on depressive symptoms in older Mexican Americans over 12 years of follow-up

Older adults who experience cultural and financial strain have an increased risk of experiencing depressive symptoms, and Hispanic adults aged 65 and older have the highest rates of depression in this age group. Despite this, the relationship of financial strain and language of interview with depressive symptoms is understudied in this population. This study examined how financial strain (great/some vs little/none) and language of interview (English vs Spanish) are associated with depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D ≥ 16) among Mexican American aged 75 years and older without a history of depressive symptoms at baseline from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly over 12 years of follow-up. We found that participants who experienced financial strain and preferred Spanish interview had significantly greater odds of experiencing depressive symptoms over time (OR 2.48, 95 % CI 1.37–4.48) than those without financial strain who were interviewed in English, after controlling for all covariates. Although participants with financial strain and English interview also had higher odds of experiencing depressive symptoms (OR 1.71, 95 % CI 0.74–3.95), this association was not statistically significant. Similarly, no significant association was found for participants without financial strain who were interviewed in Spanish. Early screening for depressive symptoms may help prevent or delay the onset of depressive symptoms in this population.