Living in a Hispanic Enclave after Acute Coronary Syndrome

The U.S. census projects that Hispanics will be the majority population in 2042, and coronary heart disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the Hispanic community. Both Hispanic ethnicity and depression increases risk for adverse outcome after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), though living in a neighborhood with high Hispanic ethnic concentration may be protective against depression for Hispanics. In this study we examine the relationship of ethnic density to depression in a CHD patient sample, with aims to (1) investigate the relationship between Hispanic ethnic density and depression severity and (2) examine the potential moderaters. We hypothesize that ethnic density will be negatively associated with depression, and this association will be more pronounced for foreign born ACS patients compared to native born ACS patients. ACS Patients (N = 472) completed the Beck Depression Inventory and measures of demographics,  disease severity, and social support , mean neighborhood household size, median income, number of single-parent households, and ethnic density were extracted from American Community Survey Census (2005 – 2009) data for each patient using their geocoded addresses. In a regression analysis adjusted for the above demographic, clinical, and neighborhood factors ethnic density was associated with greater, and not lower depressive symptoms (Beta = 2.08, p = .04). While previous research suggests that ethnic density may be protective against psychological disorders, these data suggest that living in a highly ethnically concentrated Hispanic community is associated with worse depression after ACS. These data add to a growing body of literature on the effects of ethnic segregation and health.