Can social policy influence socioeconomic disparities? Korean War GI Bill eligibility and markers of depression

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• 作者：Anusha M. Vable ; ScD ; MPH^a ; ^{avable@hsph.harvard.edu" class="auth_mail" title="E-mail the corresponding author} ; David Canning ; PhD^b ; M. Maria Glymour ; ScD ; MPH^a ; ^c ; Ichiro Kawachi ; MD ; PhD^a ; Marcia P. Jimenez ; MA ; MSc^d ; Subu V. Subramanian ; PhD^a
• 关键词：Depression ; GI Bill ; Health disparities ; Korean War ; Lifecourse ; Socio economic status ; Veterans
• 刊名：Annals of Epidemiology
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：February 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：26
• 期：2
• 页码：129-135.e3
• 全文大小：362 K

文摘

The Korean War GI Bill provided socioeconomic benefits to veterans; however, its association with health is unclear; we hypothesize GI Bill eligibility is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and smaller disparities.

4 id="absSec_2">Methods4>

d="abspara0015">Data from 246 Korean War GI Bill eligible veterans and 240 nonveterans from the Health and Retirement Study were matched on birth year, southern birth, race, height, and childhood health using coarsened exact matching. Number of depressive symptoms in 2010 (average age = 78 years) was assessed using a modified, validated Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale, dichotomized to reflect elevated depressive symptoms. Regression analyses were stratified into low (at least one parent < 8 years schooling/missing data, n = 167) or high (both parents ≥ 8 years schooling, n = 319) childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) groups.

4 id="absSec_3">Results4>

d="abspara0020">Korean War GI Bill eligibility predicted fewer depressive symptoms among individuals from low cSES backgrounds [β = −0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (−1.18, −0.09), P = .022]. Socioeconomic disparities were smaller among veterans than nonveterans for number of depressive symptoms [β = −0.76, 95% CI = (−1.33, −0.18), P = .010] and elevated depressive symptoms [β = −11.7, 95% CI = (−8.2, −22.6), P = .035].

4 id="absSec_4">Conclusions4>

d="abspara0025">Korean War GI Bill eligibility predicted smaller socioeconomic disparities in depression markers.