Ethnicity, gender and social stress among three groups of elderly Hispanics

This study examines ethnic and gender differences in social stress among three groups of elderly Hispanics: Mexican Americans (n = 773), Cuban Americans (n = 714), and Puerto Ricans (n = 368). Findings from the crosstabulation analysis between stress and ethnic groups reveal that the elderly Cuban Americans appear to experience less caregiving, family, anxiety, and social dependence stress than their Mexican Americans and Puerto Rican American counterparts. Findings from the crosstabulation analysis between stress and gender reveal that elderly Hispanic women were more likely to experience family, anxiety, social isolation, and social dependence stress. The logistic regression analyses reveal that ethnic differences in family stress, and anxiety and gender differences in caregiving stress and social isolation stress were confounded by differences in sociodemographic and health variables. Further sub-group analyses of ethnic and gender differences provide a more in-depth understanding of social dependency stress and anxiety. Implications for human services and research are discussed.