Lifetime Trauma and Depressive Symptomatology Among Older American Indians: The Native Elder Care Study

Abstract

We examined the association between lifetime traumatic events with or without trauma response symptoms and depressive symptomatology in American Indians aged ≥ 55 years from a tribe in the Southeastern US (N = 362). Twenty-three percent of the sample experienced a traumatic event without trauma-response symptoms, whereas 14% experienced a traumatic event with at least one trauma-response symptom. After adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and social support, participants who experienced a traumatic event with one or more trauma-response symptoms had higher odds of clinically relevant depressive symptomatology compared to (1) those who never experienced a traumatic event [odds ratio (OR) 3.2, p < 0.05], (2) and those who experienced a traumatic event without further symptoms (OR 3.7, p < 0.05). Our results suggest that mental health providers who serve older American Indians should consider the experience of traumatic events followed with response symptoms as a potential risk factor for further disruptions in psychological functioning.