Common mental disorders (CMD) vary by age, gender, and culture. This study: (1) examined the factor structure of the 20-item Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) and (2) explored gender-related measurement invariance in the SRQ’s performance with older adults in Puerto Rico, a U.S. island territory and associate member of the UN Regional Commissions. We merged data from two cross-sectional studies on mental health status and needs of older adults in Puerto Rico (N = 367). The first study was conducted in 2019, two years after Hurricane María devastated the island (N = 154); the second study, in 2021, assessed knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) concerning COVID-19 (N = 213). We used chi-square and t-tests to examine gender differences in each SRQ item and assessed internal consistency reliability with Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega (values > 0.70). We ran two CFA models, then multigroup CFA to test for gender-related measurement invariance. We used weighted least square mean and variance adjusted (WLSMV) estimation to account for the binary response options in the SRQ-20 and Mplus version 8.4 for analyses. There were no missing data for any SRQ-20 items. The SRQ-20 had strong internal consistency reliability (α = 0.89; omega = 0.89). Female scores were higher than males scores (t = -2.159, p = .031). Both unidimensional and two-factor models fit the data well. We selected the more parsimonious unidimensional model, which is most widely used in practice. Standardized factor loadings were 0.548 to 0.823 and all were statistically significant (p < .001). We tested gender invariance with the one-factor model. Our findings did not support invariance. We favored the unidimensional model. First, the SRQ-20 was designed to assess global distress. Also, physical symptoms have both somatic and psychological components, so their co-occurrence makes a single-factor model more meaningful. Finally, since older adults experience more physical health problems, instruments that emphasize both types of distress may provide a more accurate measure than those that exclude somatic symptoms. Using the unidimensional model, the SRQ-20 was not invariant, meaning that it performed differently for male and female participants. Future studies of common mental disorders with older adults in Puerto Rico should consider using the SRQ-20 for research and practice and should determine appropriate threshold scores for men and women.

Quality of life (QOL) for older adults in Puerto Rico was significantly impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet there has been little attention to this topic. This study examines the association between COVID-19-related attitudes and QOL and the mediating role of the psychological sense of community (PSOC) in this context. Data are from a COVID-19 knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey with a nonprobability sample of 213 Puerto Rican adults aged 60+ in 2021. We conducted a mediated linear regression model using Hayes’s PROCESS macro. Results showed that both COVID-19 attitudes and PSOC positively related to QOL. Additionally, COVID-19 attitudes also had a positive effect on PSOC and an indirect, positive effect on QOL through PSOC. These findings suggest that enhancing older adults’ positive attitudes and strengthening community connections should be central to public health strategies, especially in community-oriented cultures like Puerto Rico.

Neighborhoods with high-quality built environments and social environments are associated with older adults’ well-being. However, research on the complex interplay of neighborhood types and health outcomes is limited, as is the role of functional limitations. This study aims to: (1) identify neighborhood types, (2) explore the association of neighborhood type and older adults’ health, and (3) assess whether functional status affects this association. We merged data from the 2017 AARP Age-Friendly Communities Surveys and the Livability Index. Our sample included 3211 adults aged 65 and older; the majority (59%) were female. Participants identified as non-Hispanic White (81%), Hispanic (8%), Black (6%), and a member of another racial/ethnic group (2%). Employing latent class analysis, we identified a four-class model of neighborhood types: “Connected yet Limited Services”, “Service Integrated”, “Healthy Environment Zones”, and “Supportive Social Engagement”. Older adults in “connected yet limited services” and “service-integrated” neighborhoods had worse self-rated health than those in “supportive social engagement” neighborhoods, especially among those who reported functional limitations. Our findings indicate that older adults with functional limitations particularly benefit from neighborhoods with robust health support and social engagement opportunities, highlighting the importance of designing inclusive and adaptable age-friendly environments to address diverse and changing needs.

Adopted adults may be at a higher risk of developing complex trauma symptoms due to early attachment ruptures caused by separating from caregivers and other potential early adverse childhood experiences. Critical consciousness, or interrogating systems of oppression, may mitigate trauma symptoms of powerlessness for marginalized groups by inspiring purposeful collective action. This study explored the association between critical consciousness (critical reflection, motivation, and action) and complex trauma symptoms from a national cross-sectional online survey of a racially diverse sample (N = 464) of adopted adults in the United States. The final regression model, which included demographic variables, adoption characteristics, traumatic experiences, and critical consciousness, explained 34.9% of complex trauma symptoms among adult adoptees in the sample, R² = .349, F(3, 355) = 5.630, p < .001, and critical consciousness accounted for 3.1% of the unique variance. Critical motivation, or a belief in one's ability to contribute to social change, was the only variable associated with lower complex trauma symptoms (β = -0.15, p = .019). Critical reflection, or a realization of societal inequality (β = .13, p = .037) and critical action, or political activism (β = .14, p = .004), were associated with higher trauma symptoms. Exploratory findings suggest critical consciousness of systemic oppression may be an important and complex factor to consider when addressing complex trauma symptoms among racially diverse clients who grew up outside of the "traditional" standard North American family (i.e., heterosexual, legally married couple with biological children). Findings suggest that aspects of critical consciousness may cause distress, but other aspects, such as critical motivation, may address feelings of powerlessness and be associated with lower complex trauma symptoms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Dementia is a public health crisis due to its increasing prevalence and tremendous burden on the affected individuals, families, and society. In 2024, around 6.9 million older adults aged 65 or old...