Abstract
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore the risk and protective factors for depression in the context of gender and ethnicity, with a particular focus on the role of social relationships and subjective health, by comparing older Turkish immigrants living in Germany with a matched sample of German nonimmigrant older adults with similar sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: The study participants included 195 Turkish immigrants and 195 older German natives (75+). Participants were administered questionnaires on depression, subjective health, and social relationships. RESULTS: Ethnicity, subjective health and perceived social support were the main predictors of depression: Turkish immigrants and women scored higher levels of depressive symptoms than their nonimmigrant and male counterparts. High levels of satisfaction with friendships, perceived social support, and subjective health were found to play a protective role against depressive symptoms in both groups. Family satisfaction moderated the relationship between ethnicity and depression: low family satisfaction was associated with a greater risk of depression in the Turkish sample but not in the German sample. Received social support also moderated the effect of gender and ethnicity on depression. Receiving greater support was related to a higher risk of depression in Turkish and German women, but to a lesser degree in Turkish men and was not observed in German men. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that appraisals and mental health effects of receiving support differed by both ethnicity and gender. Family satisfaction varied by ethnicity and played a moderating role in depression. Future research may focus on the basis of differences in depression in old age.