Lin, Shen (Lamson)Kobayashi, Karen M.Tong, HongmeiDavison, Karen M.Arora, Simran R. A.Fuller‑Thomson, Esme2021-07-142022-05-312022-05-312020Lin, S., Kobayashi, L., Tong, H. M., Davison, K., Simran R. A. & Fuller-Thomson., E. (2020). Close relations matter: The association between depression and refugee status in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 22, 946-956. doi:10.1007/s10903-020-00980-0https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/2422This study examined the prevalence and social determinants of depression among refugee and non-refugee adults aged 45–85 in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Bivariate analyses and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. The prevalence of depression was higher in a sample of 272 refugees (22.1%) and 5059 non-refugee immigrants (16.6%), compared to 24,339 native-born Canadians (15.2%). The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of depression for refugees were not attenuated when controlling factors such as, (1) socioeconomic status, (2) health conditions and behaviours, (3) social isolation and online social networking (aORs range from 1.61 to 1.70, p’s < 0.05). However, when social support representing close personal relationships was included, the odds of depression for refugees were reduced to non-significance (aOR = 1.30, 95% CI 0.97–1.74, p = 0.08). Refugees’ excess vulnerability to depression is mainly attributable to lower levels of affectionate social support. Targeted interventions in nurturing supportive interpersonal relationships for refugees are warranted.enAll Rights ReservedCanadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)social determinants of mental healthdepressionsocial supportsocial isolationArticlehttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-00980-0