Anusha M Vable1, David Canning2, M Maria Glymour3, Ichiro Kawachi4, Marcia P Jimenez5, Subu V Subramanian4. 1. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Electronic address: avable@hsph.harvard.edu. 2. Department of Global Health and Populations, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. 3. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA; Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco. 4. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA. 5. Department of Epidemiology, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, RI.
Abstract
PURPOSE: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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]. CONCLUSIONS: Korean War GI Bill eligibility predicted smaller socioeconomic disparities in depression markers.
PURPOSE: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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]. CONCLUSIONS: Korean War GI Bill eligibility predicted smaller socioeconomic disparities in depression markers.
Authors: Ronald C Kessler; Steven Heeringa; Matthew D Lakoma; Maria Petukhova; Agnes E Rupp; Michael Schoenbaum; Philip S Wang; Alan M Zaslavsky Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2008-05-07 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: Anusha M Vable; Mathew V Kiang; M Maria Glymour; Joseph Rigdon; Emmanuel F Drabo; Sanjay Basu Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2019-07-01 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Anusha M Vable; Catherine dP Duarte; Alison K Cohen; M Maria Glymour; Robert K Ream; Irene H Yen Journal: Am J Epidemiol Date: 2020-11-02 Impact factor: 4.897
Authors: Anusha M Vable; Chloe W Eng; Elizabeth Rose Mayeda; Sanjay Basu; Jessica R Marden; Rita Hamad; M Maria Glymour Journal: J Epidemiol Community Health Date: 2018-08-06 Impact factor: 3.710
Authors: Anusha M Vable; Alison K Cohen; Stephanie A Leonard; M Maria Glymour; Catherine D P Duarte; Irene H Yen Journal: Ann Epidemiol Date: 2018-09-06 Impact factor: 3.797
Authors: Anusha M Vable; Mathew V Kiang; Sanjay Basu; Kara E Rudolph; Ichiro Kawachi; S V Subramanian; M Maria Glymour Journal: Mil Med Date: 2018-09-01 Impact factor: 1.563
Authors: Anusha M Vable; Ichiro Kawachi; David Canning; M Maria Glymour; Marcia P Jimenez; S V Subramanian Journal: PLoS One Date: 2016-05-17 Impact factor: 3.240