title: Manifestation of depressive symptoms among adolescents. A comparison of Mexican Americans with the majority and other minority populations.
abstract: The purpose of this research was to investigate differential manifestation of depressive symptomatology among adolescents from diverse ethnocultural groups. Data from a national survey of persons 12 to 17 years of age (N = 2200) were analyzed, comparing responses of Anglo, African, Mexican, and other Hispanic Americans with a 12-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. The results indicated minimal differences in terms of item response and internal consistency-reliability among the four adolescent groups. However, there were differences in patterns of item endorsement, as indicated by principal component factor analysis. Anglo- and African Americans exhibited similar factor structure, represented by negative affect, positive affect, and psychosomatic symptoms. The two Hispanic groups also exhibited a three-dimensional pattern, but there was a tendency among Hispanic adolescents for somatic symptoms and negative affect symptoms to cluster together. This pattern may indicate a more prominent role of somatic complaints in the presentation of depression among Mexican Americans and other Hispanics.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston School of Public Health 77225.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011594:Psychometrics; D014481:United States