An exploratory analysis of leisure activities and emotional health among older Mexican-Americans

Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-59)Aging and ethnic minority populations within the United States are growing significantly. By the year 2030 Mexican-Americans will be the largest ethnic minority group among those aged 65 and older. Within this population, women will outnumber men. With older Mexican-American women suffering from high rates of depression, it is imperative to study potential modifying factors on emotional health -- such as leisure activities -- that can be used to improve quality of life. The following study is a mixed methods, secondary analysis. The two data sets employed were the Women's Health Initiative/Successful Aging (WHI/SA) study, and a qualitative study. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the potential relationship between leisure activities and emotional health among older Mexican-American women. In doing so, the leisure activity patterns and preferences of the women were identified. The WHI/SA study included a matched sample of older Latina and Caucasian women and examined the frequency of participating in 16 common leisure activities and depressive symptom severity scores (assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale). The qualitative study provided data concerning the specific leisure activity preferences of a group of older Mexican-Americans and the perceived benefits from engaging in the activities. The WHI/SA study specifically addressed the following questions: (1) What leisure activities do older Latinas (mostly Mexican-Americans) engage in most frequently? (2) How does participation in these leisure activities differ from that of Caucasians? Similarly, the qualitative study offered an answer to the following question: What leisure activities do older Mexican-American women prefer? While the patterns and preferences for leisure activities vary in the literature, the hypothesis was that there was an association between leisure activities and positive emotional health (i.e. fewer depressive symptoms). Those with better emotional health will also report a better quality of life. Results from the WHI/SA study showed that Latinas (M = 1.29, SD = 2.33) were more inclined to assume caregiving responsibilities than Caucasian women (M = 0.62, SD = 1.67; p ??? .05) and more likely to visit family members (M = 3.68, SD = 3.69) than the sample of Caucasian women (M = 2.85, SD = 3.03). Compared to Caucasian women, who scored an average of 5.26 (SD = 5.67), Latinas reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms (M = 7.56, SD = 7.05; p ??? .05). Overall, more frequent participation in organized social activities was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms for both Latina (?? = -.23, p ??? 0.05) and Caucasian women (?? = -.22, p ??? 0.05). Once adjustments for physical functioning and other covariates were made (e.g. age, education, income, etc.), there was no significant correlation found between depressive symptoms and leisure activity participation. As for the qualitative study, the female participants revealed some of the major components that effect quality of life and health related quality of life in older age. The major components were found to be participation in leisure activities (that gave way to social interactions), and emotional health. Social leisure activities were noted as those with the greatest influence on emotional health. Volunteering, caregiving, music, and dance were named some of the most important and preferred leisure activities among the women. Engaging in these activities was described as a buffer, or coping mechanism, for many negative feelings (i.e. loneliness, depression) that could negatively impact emotional health. With older ethnic minority adults, it is important to add to the traditional way of studying aging, designing programs and, establishing treatment standards. Future studies and public health interventions among older Mexican-American women may consider culturally preferred leisure activities. Engaging in such leisure activities can potentially benefit their overall health and well-being