Multiethnic comparison of adolescent major depression based on the DSM-IV criteria in a U.S.-Japan study.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the prevalence rates of major depression based on the DSM-IVcriteria with data from a multiethnic sample of adolescents drawn from the same U.S.-Japan study and to investigate the relation of adolescent major depression to ethnicity.


METHODS
Adolescents aged 12-15 years (N= 2,046; 539 Anglo-American, 636 African-American, 409 Mexican-American, and 462 Japanese adolescents) were studied in 1994 (response rates: 85.3% for U.S. students and 95.5% for Japanese students). The DSM Scale for Depression, a self-administered checklist developed from the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children questions on major depression, was used to estimate the prevalence of DSM-IV major depression.


RESULTS
The overall prevalence rates of major depression without/with impairment were 9.6% and 4.3% for Anglo-American, 13.4% and 6.1 % for African-American, 16.9% and 9.0% for Mexican-American, and 5.6% and 1.3% for Japanese adolescents. The significant association between adolescent major depression and ethnicity disappeared after sociodemographic adjustments. Only fathers' educational attainment and family financial status remained significant (odds ratios: 3.28-5.30 for grade school for fathers and 2.62-2.78 for being worse off economically).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings imply ethnicity does not have a significant impact on the risk of adolescent major depression after sociodemographic adjustments.
Doi
Y
Y
Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Public Health, Tokyo, Japan. yuriko@iph.go.jp
Roberts
R E
RE
Takeuchi
K
K
Suzuki
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology