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Author: Hope, Ashleigh Rene
Resulting in 4 citations.
1. Christie-Mizell, C. André
Talbert, Ryan D.
Hearne, Brittany Nicole
Frazier, Cleothia G.
Hope, Ashleigh Rene
Piatt, Elizabeth E.
Gender Variation in Depressive Symptoms and Multiple Roles during the First Decade of Midlife
Presented: New York NY, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2019
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Depression (see also CESD); Gender Differences; Social Roles

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Objective: This study investigated the relationship between social roles (marriage, employment, parenthood) and depressive symptoms and whether role accumulation (number of roles) versus specific role configurations (e.g., married parent) matter more for mental health by gender. Method: Utilizing data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N=7,614), we estimated depressive symptoms with regression models during the first decade of midlife -- from 40 to 50 years old. Results: The relationship between role accumulation and depressive symptoms is curvilinear, with the decrease in depressive symptoms flattening at higher numbers of roles. Role configurations that include employment (e.g., married and employed) produced the lowest levels of depressive symptoms for both women and men. Discussion: Social roles were generally good for mental health at midlife, but role gains and losses were more detrimental for women. Role configurations that did not include employment (e.g., parent only) increase depressive symptoms more for men than women.
Bibliography Citation
Christie-Mizell, C. André, Ryan D. Talbert, Brittany Nicole Hearne, Cleothia G. Frazier, Ashleigh Rene Hope and Elizabeth E. Piatt. "Gender Variation in Depressive Symptoms and Multiple Roles during the First Decade of Midlife." Presented: New York NY, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2019.
2. Christie-Mizell, C. André
Talbert, Ryan D.
Hope, Ashleigh Rene
Frazier, Cleothia G.
Hearne, Brittany Nicole
Depression and African Americans in the First Decade of Midlife: The Consequences of Social Roles and Gender
Journal of the National Medical Association 111,3 (June 2019): 285-295.
Also: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002796841830316X
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Black Studies; Depression (see also CESD); Employment; Marital Status; Parenthood

Objective: This study examined gender differences in how three social roles -- marriage, parenthood, and employment -- impact depressive symptoms and clinically significant depression for African Americans in the first decade of midlife, from 40 to 50 years old. Specifically, we sought to understand the associations between roles configurations (e.g., married parent versus employed only) and depressed mood as well as diagnosable depression.
Bibliography Citation
Christie-Mizell, C. André, Ryan D. Talbert, Ashleigh Rene Hope, Cleothia G. Frazier and Brittany Nicole Hearne. "Depression and African Americans in the First Decade of Midlife: The Consequences of Social Roles and Gender." Journal of the National Medical Association 111,3 (June 2019): 285-295.
3. Hope, Ashleigh Rene
Perceived Purchases: The Effects of Financial Strain on Depressive Symptoms in Early Adulthood
Presented: Seattle WA, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2016
Cohort(s): NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Debt/Borrowing; Depression (see also CESD); Economic Well-Being; Socioeconomic Status (SES); Stress

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The relationship between economic inequalities and mental health disparities is well established among scholars. Occupying lower economic strata consistently produces higher levels of distress and ultimately greater instances in depressive symptoms than those who are economically advantaged. When accounting for economic position, on average depressive symptoms are highest among those transitioning into adulthood which decrease until middle age and then increase through later adulthood. Primarily scholars have explored this relationship using objective measures of socioeconomic status such as education, income, and occupational prestige. These measures have real social consequences, yet they do not account for perceptions of one's economic position or the life course dependent factors that may shape such evaluations. The purpose of this paper aims to examine the variation in depressive symptoms by subjective financial strain in a framework of stress-process and life-course theories. Data are from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth Child and Young Adult Survey years 2000-2008. I investigate how levels of depressive symptoms fluctuate by financial strain in adults ages 18-34 using 2-level multilevel models with age interactions. My analyses indicate that financial strain does positively and significantly predict levels of depressive symptoms but depressive symptoms do not decrease with age when accounting for perceptions of financial strain. This provides new insight in the discussion of depressive symptoms and mental health disparities when adjusting for perceptions of financial strain across adulthood transitions.
Bibliography Citation
Hope, Ashleigh Rene. "Perceived Purchases: The Effects of Financial Strain on Depressive Symptoms in Early Adulthood." Presented: Seattle WA, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2016.
4. Hope, Ashleigh Rene
The Pains of Parenting: The Importance of Perceived Financial Strain and Parental Mental Health
Presented: Philadelphia PA, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2018
Cohort(s): NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): Debt/Borrowing; Depression (see also CESD); Economic Well-Being; Health, Mental/Psychological; Parenthood

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Parenthood is one of the few adult roles that is not associated with a mental health advantage. Previous research has established that parents report higher distress than non-parents and that parents in certain conditions, such as single parents, report very high levels of distress. Less research has focused on economic conditions as critical determinants of parents' mental health and whether economic strain is a primary mechanism in the distress parents report. In this paper, I seek to clarify the relationship between parenthood and depressive symptoms by investigating how this relationship is moderated by perceptions of financial strain using a nationally representative sample of adults ages 18-35 from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 - Young Adult Sample. Drawing on role theory, I argue that parents experiencing financial burdens will report greater depressive symptoms because of their inability to successfully meet role demands. The analyses demonstrate that parent generally report greater depressive symptoms compared to non-parents. However, I find that the relationship between parent status and depressive symptoms is qualified by perceptions of financial strain. Parents who report greater levels of perceived financial strain have worse mental health than parents reporting little to no perceptions of financial strain and the negative mental health effects of experiencing financial strain is substantially worse for parents than non-parents. These findings suggest that parents may be especially vulnerable to the detrimental effects of perceiving financial strain because the likely impact this has on their ability to perform role functions.
Bibliography Citation
Hope, Ashleigh Rene. "The Pains of Parenting: The Importance of Perceived Financial Strain and Parental Mental Health." Presented: Philadelphia PA, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2018.