| This dissertation was a study of the complex intersection of older adult depression and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Participants were sampled from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an annual survey of national health attitudes and behaviors conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which included a CAM supplemental questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to determine the predictive relationships between common risk factors for older adult depression, use of CAM therapies, and incidence of depressive symptoms over a 12-month period, as recorded by the NHIS. Additionally, descriptive statistics revealed the top five CAM therapies to which depressed older adults turn most commonly and those that they find most helpful for managing their condition. Results indicated that, although effect sizes were small, CAM therapy use does contribute significantly to a prediction of the incidence of depressive symptoms in older adults, particularly in a subpopulation of older adults who have experienced depression earlier in life. Additionally, some CAM therapies (i.e., natural supplements, chiropractic/osteopathic, massage, yoga, and acupuncture) were found to be more commonly used by depressed older adults than others, and a majority of these (i.e., chiropractic/osteopathic, natural supplements, massage, acupuncture, and mind-body therapies) were deemed helpful for the treatment of depression. |
