The findings of a robust association between food insecurity and suicidal ideation suggest that interventions targeted at food security may reduce suicide-related morbidity and mortality. Longitudinal investigations that examine various dimensions of food insecurity will advance understanding of etiological pathways involved in food insecurity and suicide.

The relationship between different types of stressors and depressive symptoms among older Black populations is poorly understood. Even less is known about the social networks that might buffer different stressors on individuals within Black ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to examine whether there are differences in the relationship between stress and social networks on depressive symptoms by ethnic group while ethnicity functioned as a proxy for culture. Data were drawn from the National Survey of American Life, which includes older African Americans (N = 837) and Caribbean Blacks (N = 271). In this survey, the measures of stress were perceived discrimination and material hardship; measures of social networks were social support and social connectedness. The association between perceived discrimination and depressive symptoms was significant for both groups while the association between material hardship and depressive symptoms was only significant for older African Americans. Results also indicate that compared with African Americans, Caribbean Blacks derived

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Despite higher health care needs, older adults often have limited and fixed income. Approximately a quarter of them report not filling or delaying prescription medications due to cost (cost-related prescription delay, CRPD). To ascertain the association between CRPD and satisfaction with health care, secondary analysis of the 2012 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Medicare Advantage Survey was performed. Regression models quantified the association between CRPD and rating of personal doctor, specialist, and overall health care. Models were adjusted for demographic, health-related, and socioeconomic characteristics. 274,996 Medicare Advantage enrollees were mailed the CAHPS survey, of which 101,910 (36.8%) returned a survey that had responses to all the items we analyzed. CRPD was assessed by self-report of delay in filling prescriptions due to cost. Health care ratings were on a 0-10 scale. A score ≤ 5 was considered a poor rating of care. In unadjusted models, CRPD more than doubled the relative risk (RR) for poor ratings of personal doctor (RR 2.34), specialist (RR 2.14), and overall health care (RR 2.40). Adjusting for demographics and health status slightly reduced the RRs to 1.9, but adjusting for low-income subsidy and lack of insurance for medications did not make a difference. CRPD is independently associated with poor ratings of medical care, regardless of health, financial or insurance status. Providers might reduce patients’ financial stress and improve patient satisfaction by explicitly discussing prescription cost and incorporating patient priorities when recommending treatments.