American, and the mean age of the sample was 44.33 years. Measures
All measures collected were based on self-report. Standard demo-
graphic information including race, age and sex was collected.
Self-rated physical/mental health. The respondent’s self-rated
health was assessed based on the respondent’s answer to the question, “What number would you use to describe your own overall physical and mental health during the past 30 days?” (measured on a scale of 0 = worst possible health to 100 = perfect health).
English proficiency. The respondent’s English proficiency was as-
sessed based on the respondent’s answer to the question, “How well do you speak English? (Would you say poor, fair, good, or excellent?)” (measured on a scale of 1 = Poor to 4 = Excellent). For analyses, English proficiency was recoded into two categories (1,2 = Low Proficiency and 3,4 = High Proficiency).
Spousal support. A composite measure of spousal support was de-
rived based on the respondent’s answers to a series of four questions: 1) How much does your [(spouse/partner)] really care about you? 2) How much does your [(spouse/partner)] understand the way you feel about things? 3) How much can you rely on your [(spouse/partner)] for help if you have a serious problem? 4) How much can you open up to your [(spouse/partner)] if you need to talk about your worries? (all questions measured on a scale from 1 = A lot to 4 = Not at all). The responses to all four questions were reverse coded (1 = Not at all to 4 = A lot) and then summed to create a composite scale of spousal support (4 = minimum to 16 = maximum). For analyses, spousal support was recoded into two categories (high= above mean versus low= below mean) (Alegria, Jackson, Kessler & Takeuchi, 2007).
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Excellence in Upper-Level Writing 2012