Yanping Jiang, Ph.D.

Social isolation has been consistently linked to various medical illnesses, including depression and cardiovascular disease(CVD)in older adults. Older immigrants, particularly older Asian immigrants, have been suggested to be disproportionately affected by social isolation. The bio psychosocial mechanisms through which social isolation affects health, however, have not been examined in older Asian immigrants, which, therefore, hampers efforts to promote health in this population. This proposed study, adopting a mixed-methods approach, will investigate the daily bio psychosocial dynamics linking social isolation to depression and CVD. We will recruit 30 community-dwelling older Chinese immigrants (15 living alone, 15 living with others) in New Jersey to (Aim 1) determine the mediation role of dailysolitude and loneliness and salivary cortisol in the associations between social isolation and depressive symptoms and blood pressure(a surrogate endpoint of CVD), (Aim 2) identify unmeasured factors underlying these associations using semi-structured interviews, and (Aim 3) critically evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment along with salivary cortisol collection and daily blood pressure monitoring in older Asian immigrants. Results from this proposed study will be used to support a planned R01 application aiming to uncover the key bio psychosocial mechanisms through which social isolation contributes to the development of CVD and depression in older Asian immigrants. This proposed study is well aligned with the CAHPE P50’s goals, as study findings will improve understanding of bio psychosocial factors contributing to poor mental and cardio metabolic health in US older Asian adults and, therefore, will inform future intervention efforts.