Racial differences in the use of antidepressants and counseling for depression among homeless women.
The purpose of the current study was to examine how African American race was related to the use of antidepressants and counseling among homeless depressed women. Women were recruited in 18 homeless shelters in four counties in central North Carolina. Head of household homeless mothers with psychiatric and/or substance abuse disorders who had dependent children were eligible to participate. One hundred and sixty four women enrolled into the study. Fifty-six percent (N=92) of the homeless women were currently depressed at the time of enrollment into the study. Nineteen of the depressed women reported having received counseling during the past 3 months and there were no racial differences in counseling use. A total of 19 depressed women were currently taking antidepressants. Non-Black depressed women (60%) were significantly more likely than Black depressed women (16%) to be currently using antidepressant medication (OR=0.14, 95% CI=0.02, 0.90). Fourteen of the 92 depressed women reported needing mental health services but not receiving them during the past 3 months and all of these women were Black.
Sleath
Betsy L
BL
Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Betsy_Sleath@unc.edu
Jackson
Elizabeth
E
Thomas
Kathleen C
KC
Galloway
James
J
Dumain
Lisa
L
Thorpe
Joshua
J
Rollins
Angela
A
Morrissey
Joseph
J
D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D003469:Culture; D003710:Demography; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012931:Social Environment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000928:Antidepressive Agents