Marital Status as Contingency for the Effects of Neighborhood Disorder on Older Adults' Mental Health

Abstract

This study examines whether the effects of neighborhood disorder on changes in levels of depression differ between the married and nonmarried, and whether these differences are because the married are less likely to experience a decrease in mastery due to neighborhood disorder. Data are derived from a longitudinal study of adults aged 65 and older in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area over a 2-year period (2001–2003). Neighborhood disorder is positively related to change in depression and negatively related to change in mastery, but only for the nonmarried. Differences between the married and nonmarried in changes in mastery explain differences in effects of neighborhood disorder on change in depression. This research contributes to the study of aging and health by demonstrating that neighborhood conditions continue to affect mental health well into late life by shaping older adults' mastery, but a social connection to a marital partner helps mitigate these effects.