ETHNOCULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN PREVALENCE OF ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION

Data front an ethnically diverse sample of middle school (Grades 6-8) students (n = 5,423) are analyzed for ethnic differences in major depr ession. The point prevalence of major depression was 8.4% without and 4.3% with impairment. Data were sufficient to calculate prevalences fo r nine ethnic groups. Prevalences adjusted for impairment ranged from 1.9% for youths of Chinese descent to 6.6% for those of Mexican decent . African and Mexican American youths had significantly higher crude F ates of depression without impairment but only the latter had signific antly higher rates of depression with impairment. Multivariate (logist ic regression) analyses, adjusting for the effects of age, gender and socioeconomic status (SES), yielded significant odds ratios for only o ne group. Mexican American youths were at elevated risk for both depre ssion without (OR = 1.74, p < .05) and depression with impairment (OR = 1.71, p < .05). There was no significant interaction of ethnicity an d SES in relation to depression. Females had higher prevalences of dep ression with and without impairment, as did youths who reported that t heir SES was somewhat or much worse off than their peers. The data add to growing evidence that Mexican American youths are at increased ris k of depression and that community intervention efforts should specifi cally target this high-risk group.