Racial/ethnic differences in rates of depression among preretirement adults.
OBJECTIVE
We estimated racial/ethnic differences in rates of major depression and investigated possible mediators.


METHODS
Depression prevalence rates among African American, Hispanic, and White adults were estimated from a population-based national sample and adjusted for potential confounders.


RESULTS
African Americans (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.93, 1.44) and Hispanics (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.04) exhibited elevated rates of major depression relative to Whites. After control for confounders, Hispanics and Whites exhibited similar rates, and African Americans exhibited significantly lower rates than Whites.


CONCLUSIONS
Major depression and factors associated with depression were more frequent among members of minority groups than among Whites. Elevated depression rates among minority individuals are largely associated with greater health burdens and lack of health insurance, factors amenable to public policy intervention.
Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. ddunlop@northwestern.edu
Dorothy D
DD
Dunlop
Jing
J
Song
John S
JS
Lyons
Larry M
LM
Manheim
Rowland W
RW
Chang
D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003710:Demography; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011336:Probability; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data