Implications of Perceived Neighborhood Quality, Daily Discrimination, and Depression for Social Integration Across Mid- and Later Life: A Case of Person-Environment Fit?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Integration in one's social community may depend in part upon feeling safe and secure within one's physical community, or neighborhood. Moreover, high-quality neighborhoods may serve as a supportive resource, potentially "buffering" against the harmful influence of experiences such as discrimination or depression that could otherwise erode adults' sense of belonging. This study examines longitudinal associations of perceived neighborhood quality, daily discrimination, and depression with social integration among midlife and older adults, and tests whether perceived neighborhood quality is of increased importance with age and/or in the contexts of discrimination and depression. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Multilevel random intercept models analyzed 6,016 observations of 3,102 individuals drawn from the 3 waves of the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS, 1995-2014).
RESULTS: Perceived neighborhood quality was associated with greater social integration throughout adulthood, though its impact was slightly attenuated with age. Moreover, depression was harmful for social integration across the age range, yet its influence was significantly buffered by perceived neighborhood quality. Daily discrimination was not associated with social integration, net of covariates. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Findings underscore the importance of physical place and person-environment fit for social well-being throughout adulthood, and confirm the deleterious effects of depression for adults' social integration. Further, results highlight perceived neighborhood quality as a critical component for successful "aging in place," particularly as a social resource adults may call upon in the context of depression.