Ann W Nguyen

Biographic Data

ID223832
NAMEAnn W Nguyen
GIVEN NAMESAnn W
FAMILY NAMENguyen
SIGNATURENGUYEN A W
AFFILIATIONSCase Western Reserve University
ORCID0000-0002-2592-0773
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS52
TOTAL CITATIONS242
AUTHOR COUNT52
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2011
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2026
H-INDEX10

  • The Impact of Hearing and Vision Impairment on Objective and Subjective Social Isolation From Family, Friends, and Congregation Members

    Open AccessHarry Owen Taylor, Ann W Nguyen et al.ARTICLESociological Focus2026

    This study examined the association between hearing and vision sensory impairment and objective and subjective social isolation from extended family, friends, and congregation members. We used data from the National Survey of American Life, a nationally representative survey of African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and non-Hispanic Whites. We conducted six multivariable logistic regression models to determine how hearing and vision impairment were…

  • Social Isolation and Comorbid Mood and Anxiety Disorders: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

    Open AccessAnn W Nguyen, Robin Rentrope et al.ARTICLESociological Focus2026

    Comorbid psychiatric disorders, particularly mood and anxiety disorders, are a growing public health concern in the United States with profound negative health implications. Theoretical models such as the stress process model, along with extant literature, identify social isolation as a multidimensional psychosocial factor linked to psychiatric comorbidity. However, limited understanding remains as to how different dimensions of social isolation …

  • Beyond Belief: Black Religious Experience in Sociological Perspective

    Open AccessAnn W NguyenARTICLESociological Focus2026

    This special issue of Sociological Focus examines religion among Black Americans as a central arena of Black social, political, and institutional life. Building on a sociological lineage that extends from W. E. B. Du Bois and E. Franklin Frazier to C. Eric Lincoln, Lawrence H. Mamiya, Linda Chatters, and Robert Joseph Taylor, the introduction situates Black religion as both an interpretive resource and a structurally embedded social institution. …

  • How Church-Based Social Support Influences Health Among Older African American Adults: A Narrative Review and a Way Forward

    Open AccessElissa Kim, Ann W Nguyen et al.ARTICLESociological Focus2026

  • Do Care Coordinators Improve the Quality of Healthcare for Older Adults in the U.S

    Open AccessKedong Ding, Ann W NguyenARTICLEJournal of Aging and Health2026

    Objective This study examined whether older adults with informal, professional, or both types of care coordinators (CCs) reported different healthcare quality than those without CCs. Methods Data came from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study ( n = 1,555) Module 10 on coordinated care. CC type and the helpfulness of professional CCs were independent variables. Outcomes included perceived confusion about care, conflicting advice from different pro…

  • Social Isolation and Religious Service Attendance Among Black Older Adults

    Open AccessHarry Owen Taylor, Ann W Nguyen et al.ARTICLESociological Focus2026

    This study examines how religious service attendance is associated with social isolation among Black older adults. Data came from the psychosocial leave-behind questionnaire in the 2016 and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative panel study which oversamples for Black older adults. Five different types of social isolation were examined in the current study: overall isolation, child isolation, extended fam…

  • Extended family relationships among older African American, Black Caribbean, and White Adults

    Open AccessR J Taylor, Xiaoling Xiang et al.ARTICLEFamily Relations2025

  • Organizational and non-organizational religious participation and trajectories of cognitive function among older African Americans

    Open AccessAnn W Nguyen, Elissa Kim et al.ARTICLEThe Journals of Gerontology…2025References: 3

    These findings illustrate substantial heterogeneity in cognitive aging among older African Americans. Non-organizational religious participation primarily served as a preventive factor among younger participants but functioned more prominently as a coping resource among the oldest participants. These age-related distinctions emphasize the diverse ways in which religiosity could foster cognitive resilience or aid in navigating cognitive decline am…

  • Elder Abuse in Older Adults With Dementia: Protective Factors and Adverse Effects

    Open AccessWenxing Wei, Sarah Balser et al.ARTICLETrauma Violence & Abuse2024

    With the rapid increase in the aging population, more attention has been paid to studying older adults with dementia. Despite the fact that older adults with dementia are more likely to be abused compared to their cognitively intact counterparts, little attention has been paid to abuse within this population. This systematic review, conducted using the PRISMA model, aims to critically examine, evaluate, and synthesize literature on protective fac…

  • Neighborhood social cohesion and physical disorder in relation to social isolation in older adults: Racial and ethnic differences

    Open AccessWeidi Qin, Emily J Nicklett et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2024

    This study elucidates the role of neighborhood characteristics in shaping social isolation dynamics among older adults. Furthermore, the observed moderation effects of race/ethnicity suggest the need for culturally sensitive interventions tailored to address social isolation within specific neighborhood and racial contexts

  • The role of subjective, interpersonal, and structural social isolation in 12-month and lifetime anxiety disorders

    Open AccessAnn W Nguyen, Harry Owen Taylor et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2024

    Public health approaches should include mental health and primary care providers and need to target social isolation, especially subjective isolation, which may be key in preventing anxiety disorders and the worsening of anxiety disorders. Future public health research is needed on how and in what ways the differing dimensions of social isolation impact mental health

  • Chronic stress exposure, social support, and sleep quality among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life-Reinterview

    Ann W Nguyen, Omonigho M Bubu et al.ARTICLEEthnicity and Health2024References: 5

    Together, these findings underscore the detriment of chronic stress exposure to African Americans' sleep quality and suggest that extended family members are effective stress coping resources and play an important role in this population's sleep quality

  • Friendship Social Support Networks of African Americans

    R J Taylor, Linda Chatters et al.ARTICLESociological Focus2024References: 10

    Friends are crucial for companionship, sharing personal thoughts and feelings, and are positively associated with psychological well-being and mental health. This is one of the first studies to provide an in-depth investigation of social support networks of African American friendship. Using a nationally representative sample of African American adults drawn from the National Survey of American Life, this study investigated sociodemographic corre…

  • Correlates of Spirituality among African American and Black Caribbean Emerging Adults

    Open AccessMeredith O Hope, Meredith Hope et al.ARTICLEReligions2024Cited by: 1References: 28

    Spirituality is a significant cultural strength and resource for Black emerging adults. Numerous studies show that increasing numbers of emerging adults tend to identify themselves as being spiritual but not religious. However, no studies to date have identified the demographic correlates of spirituality for Black emerging adults from different ethnic groups (i.e., African American and Black Caribbean). Data from the National Survey of American L…

  • Advancing Family-Focused Health Equity: Reconceptualizing Family in Social Work Research and Practice

    Open AccessKatrina R Ellis, Ann W Nguyen et al.ARTICLEJournal of the Society for Social…2023Cited by: 1References: 8

    In this commentary, we address the strengths and limitations of prevailing conceptualizations of family, particularly in relation to advancing health equity. To better attend to the continuing evolution and diversification of family experiences in the United States, we propose the CHIEF framework, which represents chosen, household, immediate, extended, and fictive kin families. We call on social work and its governing bodies to center diverse fa…

  • Everyday Discrimination, Neighborhood Perceptions, and Incidence of Activity Limitations Among Middle-Aged and Older African Americans

    Open AccessWeidi Qin, Ann W Nguyen et al.ARTICLEThe Journals of Gerontology…2023Cited by: 1References: 13

    Everyday discrimination represents a significant stressor that negatively affects older African Americans' performance of daily activities. Community-level efforts that improve neighborhood perceptions are needed to alleviate the negative effects of discrimination on the incidence of activity limitations

  • Sociodemographic Factors and Neighborhood/Environmental Conditions Associated with Social Isolation Among Black Older Adults

    Open AccessHarry Owen Taylor, Kazumi Tsuchiya et al.ARTICLEJournal of Aging and Health2022Cited by: 1References: 14

    Objectives: To investigate sociodemographic factors and neighborhood/environmental conditions associated with social isolation (SI) among Black older adults. Methods: We utilized data from the 2014 and 2016 Leave-Behind Questionnaire from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS LBQ) among those who self-identified as Black ( N = 2.323). Outcome variables for our study included SI from adult children, other family members, friends, disengagement from…

  • Religious Involvement and Sleep Among Older African Americans

    Open AccessAnn W Nguyen, Harry Owen Taylor et al.ARTICLEJournal of Aging and Health2022Cited by: 1References: 5

    Objective: This study sought to determine whether religious involvement is associated with sleep quality in a nationally representative sample of older African Americans. Methods: The analytic sample included African American respondents aged 55+ from the National Survey of American Life-Reinterview ( N = 459). Religious involvement variables included service attendance, reading religious texts, watching religious television programs, listening t…

  • Hope, Purpose, and Religiosity: The Impact of Psychosocial Resources on Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms Among Middle-Aged and Older Blacks

    Open AccessUchechi A Mitchell, Ann W Nguyen et al.ARTICLEJournal of Aging and Health2022Cited by: 1References: 14

    Objective: We assessed the effects of hope, purpose in life, and religiosity on trajectories of depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older Blacks, with a focus on age differences in these associations. Methods: Data come from 1906 respondents from the 2006-2016 Health and Retirement Study. Linear mixed models were estimated and included interactions between age and time and between age and each psychosocial resource. Results: Depressive symp…

  • Race, Ethnicity, and Age Differences in Social Relationships and Obesity: Findings From the National Survey of American Life

    Open AccessK D Lincoln, Ann W NguyenARTICLEJournal of Aging and Health2022Cited by: 2References: 14

    ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine race, ethnicity, and age differences in the association between social relationships and body weight in a nationally representative sample of African American, Caribbean Black, and non-Hispanic White adults. Methods : Data were drawn from the 2001-2003 National Survey of American Life ( N = 5684). Multiple linear regressions were conducted to examine the links between race, ethnicity, and age with…

  • Discrimination and social isolation among African Americans: The moderating role of skin tone

    Open AccessAnn W Nguyen, Harry Owen Taylor et al.ARTICLECultural Diversity & Ethnic…2022Cited by: 1References: 13

    These findings shed light on African Americans' nuanced experiences with discrimination and colorism. Further, the data demonstrate heterogeneity in the vulnerability to the adverse effects of discrimination within the African American population; the relationship between discrimination and subjective isolation was stratified by skin tone. This underscores the well-documented and persistent racialized social stratification system in the United St…

  • How Skin Tone Influences Relationships Between Discrimination, Psychological Distress, and Self-Rated Mental Health Among Older African Americans

    Open AccessTyrone Hamler, Ann W Nguyen et al.ARTICLEThe Journals of Gerontology…2022Cited by: 4References: 31

    This study contributes to the emerging body of literature on skin tone, discrimination, and mental health. Uncovering mechanisms behind the "why" is an important next step in understanding how skin tone influences the relationship between discrimination and mental health. The negative psychological effects associated with darker complexion provide several areas to be examined

  • Racial Socialization Provision in African American and Black Caribbean Families

    Open AccessRiana E Anderson, Nkemka Anyiwo et al.ARTICLEJournal of Child and Family Studies2022Cited by: 3References: 25

  • The Role of Church Support Networks in the Relationship between Discrimination and Psychiatric Disorders among Older African Americans

    Open AccessAnn W Nguyen, Fei Wang et al.ARTICLEReview of Religious Research2022Cited by: 1References: 46

    Background Few studies have examined the effects of discrimination on mental health specifically among older African Americans despite it being a common experience in this population. Further, knowledge on social resources, such as social relationships, that could mitigate the effects of discrimination is limited in this population. Given the historical and contemporaneous importance of the Black church in African American communities, church mem…

  • Social Network Typology and Serious Psychological Distress: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

    Ann W NguyenARTICLESocial Work in Public Health2021

    This study examined the association between social network typology and serious psychological distress (SPD) across various adult developmental stages among African Americans. The sample for this study was drawn from the National Survey for American Life (N = 2,991). Network typology was identified using positive and negative family and church relationship indicators. Latent class distal outcome modeling was used to identify network typology and …