Prevalence of youth-reported DSM-IV psychiatric disorders among African, European, and Mexican American adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The authors present prevalence data for adolescents in a large metropolitan area and examine the association of DSM-IV diagnoses with functional impairment and selected demographic correlates among European Americans (EA), African Americans (AA), and Mexican (MA) Americans.


METHODS
The authors sampled 4,175 youths ages 11 to 17 years whose households were enrolled in large health maintenance organizations. Data were collected using questionnaires, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV and the Children's Global Assessment Scale. The data were collected in the Houston Metropolitan area in 1998-2000. Data on psychiatric disorders were derived from interviews with youths only.


RESULTS
AA had a lower prevalence of mood disorders, substance use disorders, and any disorders adjusted for Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV impairment or Children's Global Assessment Scale score than did others. EA had greatest prevalence of substance use disorders, whereas AA were lowest. After adjusting for covariates, EA had a higher risk for some disorders than AA. Effects of gender, age, parent education, family income, and marital status were not consistent across groups. Family income was protective only for EA.


CONCLUSIONS
There appear to be few systematic differences between majority and minority adolescents at risk for psychiatric disorders. MA are not at increased risk contrasted to EA. AA had lower risk for some disorders, but adjusting for impairment and covariates eliminated most differences. Thus, multivariate analyses support the hypothesis that initial ethnic differences appear to be a function of factors associated with disadvantaged minority status rather than to distinctive ethnic culture. A noteworthy finding was that disadvantaged social status did not appear to increase the risk for disorders among minority youths.
Roberts
Robert E
RE
Dr. R.E. Roberts is with the Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences and Ms. Xing is with the Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; and Dr. C.R. Roberts is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School at Houston.. Electronic address: Robert.E.Roberts@uth.tmc.edu.
Roberts
Catherine Ramsay
CR
Dr. R.E. Roberts is with the Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences and Ms. Xing is with the Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; and Dr. C.R. Roberts is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
Xing
Yun
Y
Dr. R.E. Roberts is with the Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences and Ms. Xing is with the Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston; and Dr. C.R. Roberts is with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical School at Houston.
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology; D017058:Mexican Americans; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States; D044465:White People