Personal Resources and Depression in the Transition to Adulthood: Ethnic Comparisons

Based on a representative sample of 1,803 South Florida young adults, we examine the extent to which personal attributes mediate or moderate the ethnicity-depression relationship and condition the effects of social stress on depression. Our sample contains nearly equal proportions of African America...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health and social behavior 2004-03, Vol.45 (1), p.34-52
Main Authors: Turner, R. Jay, Taylor, John, Van Gundy, Karen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
African Americans
Biological and medical sciences
Coping
Cuban Americans
Cubans
Cultural Differences
Data Collection
Depression
Depression (Psychology)
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - ethnology
Depression - etiology
Depressive disorders
Ethnic Groups
Ethnicity
Evidence
Female
Florida
Gender Discrimination
Hispanic Americans
Hispanics
Humans
Individual Characteristics
Male
Marital Status
Medical sciences
Mental depression
Mental health
Miami, Florida
Mood disorders
Psychological stress
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Racial Differences
Self Concept
Self esteem
Social Behavior
Social Factors and Mental Health
Social psychology
Social Status
Socioeconomic Status
Stress
Stress, Psychological
Whites
Young Adults
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Summary:Based on a representative sample of 1,803 South Florida young adults, we examine the extent to which personal attributes mediate or moderate the ethnicity-depression relationship and condition the effects of social stress on depression. Our sample contains nearly equal proportions of African American, Cuban American, "other" Hispanic, and non-Hispanic white respondents. Findings suggest that there are ethnic variations in four of the five personal resources considered. Additionally, when accounting for ethnic differences in response tendencies and in the confounding of personal resources with depression, there is strong evidence for both direct and stress-buffering effects of personal resources. Although naïve comparisons of within group findings imply a number of ethnic variations in those effects, few statistically significant differences are observed. It is suggested that ethnic similarities outweigh differences, at least with respect to the mental health significance of the personal resources considered. Overall, the results highlight some of the complexities inherent in making multi-ethnic comparisons.
ISSN:0022-1465
2150-6000
DOI:10.1177/002214650404500103