Race-Ethnic Inequality and Psychological Distress: Depressive Symptoms From Adolescence to Young Adulthood

Social inequality is well established in the mental health of race-ethnic groups, but little is known about this disparity from adolescence to young adulthood. This study examined differences in trajectories of depressive symptoms across 4 race-ethnic groups (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians) u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 2007-11, Vol.43 (6), p.1295-1311
Main Authors: Brown, J. Scott, Meadows, Sarah O, Elder, Glen H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Adulthood
Adults
African Americans
Asian Americans
Asian People - ethnology
Biological and medical sciences
Black or African American
Black People
Child development
Depression
Depression (Psychology)
Developmental psychology
Distress
Ethnic Groups
Ethnicity
Female
Gender Differences
Health Status
Hispanic Americans
Hispanic or Latino
Human
Humans
Inequality
Longitudinal Studies
Major Depression
Male
Medical sciences
Mental depression
Mental health
Minority & ethnic groups
Minority Groups
Models, Psychological
Mood disorders
Prejudice
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Race
Racial and Ethnic Differences
Racial Differences
Racial Groups
Social Differences
Social inequality
Social Support Groups
Stress, Psychological - etiology
Studies
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
United States
Whites
Young Adults
Youth
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Summary:Social inequality is well established in the mental health of race-ethnic groups, but little is known about this disparity from adolescence to young adulthood. This study examined differences in trajectories of depressive symptoms across 4 race-ethnic groups (Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians) using 3 waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Latent trajectory analyses showed race-ethnic variations among both females and males. Stressors were significantly related to depressive symptoms for all study members, but they accounted for symptom trajectories only among Black males and minority females. Persistent differences in trajectories for Blacks and Whites showed parallel slopes that did not converge over time. Neither background characteristics nor social resources (i.e., social support) altered this gap. However, social support represents a potential equalizer of these race-ethnic differences, owing to the ubiquitous nature of its protective effects.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/0012-1649.43.6.1295