Late Life Anxiety and Depression Symptoms, and Suicidal Behaviors in Racial/Ethnic Minority Older Adults in Community-Based Organizations and Community Clinics in the US

Public Significance Statement Our results underscore the importance of outreaching minority older adults participating in community-based organizations (CBOs) and clinics for mental health screening given the high prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and suicidal behaviors. CBOs and clinics may offer opportunities for early identification of their mental health problems and provide mental health literacy and connection to secondary prevention programs to mitigate their higher risk of disability. Objective: Late life anxiety and depression represent a significant source of disability, with racial/ethnic minority older adults in the U.S. showing marked disparities in healthy aging. Community-based organizations (CBOs) and community clinics serve these populations for preventive care, yet few identify their mental health service needs. We examine the association between race/ethnicity and risk of mild-to-severe symptoms of anxiety and depression, and suicidal behaviors in minority older adults. Method: Data come from the multisite randomized controlled trial Building Community Capacity for Disability Prevention for Minority Elders, which screened 1,057 adults (45.5% Asian, 26.8% Latinx, 15.0% non-Latinx Black, 8.5% non-Latinx White, and 4.2% American Indian) aged 60+ years at CBOs and clinics in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Screened participants completed the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) for anxiety symptoms, the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) for depression symptoms, and the Paykel Suicide Risk Questionnaire for suicidal behaviors. Results: 28.1% of older adults reported mild-to-severe anxiety symptoms, 30.1% reported mild-to-severe depression symptoms, and 4.3% reported at least one suicidal behavior. Compared to non-Latinx Whites, Latinxs had higher odds of mild-to-severe anxiety and depression symptoms and one or more suicidal behaviors, and Asians had higher odds of mild-to-severe depression symptoms only. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to improve outreach for screening and preventive mental health care for minority older adults. Expanding outreach and community-based capacity to identify and treat minority older adults with mental health conditions represents an opportunity to prevent disability.