Acculturation and Depressive Symptoms Among Dominicans in New York City.

Little is known about the association between acculturation and mental health among Dominican populations in the United States. Data came from a community survey of Dominican residents of New York City (n = 2744). Associations between two indicators of acculturation, proportion of life spent in the U.S. and interview language (English/Spanish), with lifetime depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥ 5) were examined using logistic regression overall and by gender. In adjusted models, respondents with English-language interview and above-median proportion of life spent in the U.S. had 77% higher odds (95% CI 1.28, 2.44) of lifetime depressive symptoms than those with Spanish-language interview and below-median proportion of life spent in the U.S. There was some evidence of elevated odds of depressive symptoms among men with English-language interview and below-median proportion of life spent in the U.S. Additional research is needed to elucidate gender-specific impacts of acculturation on mental health in this population.

Chronic Physical Illness Burden and Suicidal Ideation Among Dominicans in New York City.

Little is known about the association between chronic illness and suicidal ideation (SI) among Dominicans living in the United States. This study used data from a community survey of 2753 Dominican adults in New York City. SI included thoughts of self-harm or being better off dead in the past month. Chronic physical illness burden was categorized as having 0, 1, or 2+ diagnosed conditions. Adjusted logistic regressions evaluated the association between number of conditions and SI, overall and stratified by sex and age. Adjusted models yielded a strong association between chronic illness burden and SI among men [odds ratio (OR) 5.57, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 2.19-14.18] but not women (OR 0.80, 95 % CI 0.50-1.29; interaction p = 0.011). The association of interest did not differ significantly between younger and older adults. Screening for SI in health care practice, particularly among Dominican men with multiple chronic health conditions, may be warranted.

Genetic linkage of serum homocysteine in Dominican families: the Family Study of Stroke Risk and Carotid Atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Homocysteine levels are determined by genetic and environmental factors. Several studies have linked high plasma levels of total homocysteine to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and many other conditions. However, the exact mechanism of documented and novel total homocysteine quantitative trait loci to that risk is unknown. METHODS: We have performed linkage analysis in 100 high-risk Dominican families with 1362 members. Probands were selected from the population-based Northern Manhattan Study. A set of 405 microsatellite markers was used to screen the whole genome. Variance components analysis was used to detect evidence for linkage after adjusting for stroke risk factors. Ordered-subset analysis based on Dominican Republic enrollment was conducted. RESULTS: Total homocysteine levels had a heritability of 0.44 (P<0.0001). The most significant evidence for linkage was found at chromosome 17q24 (maximum logarithm of odds [MLOD]=2.66, P=0.0005) with a peak at D17S2193 and was significantly increased in a subset of families with a high proportion of Dominican Republic enrollment (MLOD=3.92, P=0.0022). Additionally, modest evidence for linkage was found at chromosome 2p21 (MLOD=1.77, P=0.0033) with a peak at D2S1356 and was significantly increased in a subset of families with a low proportion of Dominican Republic enrollment (MLOD=2.82, P=0.0097). CONCLUSIONS: We found a strong evidence for novel quantitative trait loci on chromosomes 2 and 17 for total homocysteine plasma levels in Dominican families. Our family study provides essential data for a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms associated with elevated total homocysteine levels leading to cardiovascular disease after accounting for environmental risk factors.

Design of a family study among high-risk Caribbean Hispanics: the Northern Manhattan Family Study.

Stroke continues to kill disproportionately more Blacks and Hispanics than Whites in the United States. Racial/ethnic variations in the incidence of stroke and prevalence of stroke risk factors are probably explained by both genetic and environmental influences. Family studies can help identify genetic predisposition to stroke and potential stroke precursors. Few studies have evaluated the heritability of these stroke risk factors among non-White populations, and none have focused on Caribbean Hispanic populations. The aim of the Northern Manhattan Family Study (NOMAFS) is to investigate the gene-environment interaction of stroke risk factors among Caribbean Hispanics. The unique recruitment and methodologic approaches used in this study are relevant to the design and conduct of genetic aggregation studies to investigate complex genetic disorders in non-White populations. The aim of this paper is to describe the NOMAFS and report enrollment and characteristics of the participants. The NOMAFS will provide a data resource for the exploration of the genetic determinants of highly heritable stroke precursor phenotypes that are less complex than the stroke phenotype. Understanding the gene environment interaction is the critical next step toward the development of new and unique approaches to disease prevention and interventions.