Depressive symptomatology in a nonclinical sample of elderly blacks: the effects of marital status.

The literature shows that the rate of depression among the elderly is relatively low in comparison with the general population; there is, however, a direct relationship between increasing age and the onset of depressive symptoms.This study has shown that marital status among elderly blacks is a significant factor that contributes to depression. A relationship was found between sex and depression, but no significant distinction was evident. It was concluded that marital status among elderly black individuals is a more significant predictor of depression than the sex variable.