Recently we shared a post about mental health and the black community. Studies are now seeking to understand the difference in the rate of depression among various races/ethnicities. This is an important step toward providing help that is beneficial and inclusive, as well as tailored to an individual’s specific experience in the world. We thought we’d share a glimpse of the report on minority mental health with you. As always, for those in the West Side Cleveland area, we’re here to help with matters of mental health and well-being.
In this study, we used a national probability sample to examine differences in prevalence rates of major depression between African Americans and Hispanics aged 54 to 65 years and Whites in the same age group. Reports of major depression were more frequent among Hispanics (a rate of 107.8 per 1000 respondents) and African Americans (88.5 per 1000) than among Whites (77.5 per 1000), and the difference was statistically significant for Hispanics. However, after adjustment for sociodemographic, health, and economic factors, depression was found significantly less frequently among African Americans than among Whites and with similar frequency among Hispanics and Whites. Elevated rates of depression were related to the presence of potentially life-threatening diseases, functional limitations, absence of health insurance coverage, and lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise, all factors that vary across ethnic/racial groups.
Our study involved notable strengths relative to previous investigations. The HRS included sufficient numbers of African Americans and Hispanics to allow evaluation of differences in major depression among these minority groups. Furthermore, we were able to evaluate the contribution of various risk factors to rates of major depression from the strong methodological platform of a national probability sample. Our results are methodologically more reliable than estimates of major depression based on national administrative health data which are problematic as a consequence of ethnic disparities in use of health care.
Other reports based on clinical or community samples cannot be generalized to the national experience. US national studies other than the National Comorbidity Survey, involving younger adults, have assessed depressive symptoms, which are an inadequate measure for diagnostic purposes. In contrast, we used DSM criteria to estimate prevalence rates of 12-month major depression among a probability sample of older US adults and evaluated the effects of sociodemographic, health, and economic differences on relative frequencies of major depression among members of ethnic minority groups.
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