College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

Summer 8-20-2017

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Leonard A. Jason, PhD

Second Advisor

LaVome Robinson, PhD

Third Advisor

Molly Brown, PhD

Abstract

Depression is responsible for widespread functional impairment and disability in 16 million individuals across the United States, as well as societal costs that exceed $36 billion. There are numerous risk factors for depression, such as female gender, ethnic minority status, poverty, incarceration, and comorbid substance use disorders. Thus, low-income, criminal-justice-involved African American women in recovery from substance use problems represent a population that is particularly vulnerable to depression. Social support has been established as a protective factor against depression; however, the relationship between social support and depression has been understudied in such high-risk African American populations. The present study examined the relationship between social support and depression among low-income, criminal-justice-involved African American women in recovery, through the lens of Coyne’s interactional theory of depression and Lewinsohn’s behavioral theory of depression. The relationship between social support and depression was assessed via a cross-lagged path model. The mediational impact of social support on the relationship between Oxford House sober-living home residence and depression was also be explored. Policy and treatment implications will be discussed, along with suggestions for future research.

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