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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Julia F. Hastings, MSW, PhD, School of Social Work/ Poverty Research and Training Center, University of Michigan, 540 E. Liberty, Suite 202, Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2210, (734) 998-8511, jhasting@umich.edu
Poverty rates among African Americans have been higher than those of European Americans for as long as the Census Bureau has collected income data. Little attention has been devoted to understanding how demographic factors such as education, age, gender, and racial group affiliation influence the enduring inverse relationship between socioeconomic status and depressive symptom outcomes (Neighbors, 1984; Williams & Harris-Reid, 1999; Williams & Ell, 1998). Early epidemiologic studies show that African Americans exhibit higher numbers of depression symptoms, but lower rates of diagnosed cases. The reason for lower prevalence rates is understudied. This research examines prevalence rates for depression among African Americans across levels of poverty and whether the number of reported symptoms increase with level of poverty. Findings from an analysis of 9,040 persons in a sample generated from combined cross-sectional National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) datasets in years 1994b, 1995, and 1996 are reported. Depression symptomatology is generated from the modified Composite International diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Zero-inflated Poisson regressions revealed African Americans report higher counts of depression symptoms when in severe poverty, widowed, and aged between 26 and 31 years. The results highlight the need for public health social workers to appreciate the importance of depressive symptoms among African Americans. Public health social work participants will be able to: 1) describe the prevalence and correlates associated with the dispersion of symptoms and diagnosis, 2) discuss the implications for practice including outreach, screening, and intervention development; and 3) identify strategies which incorporate the role of culture in survey research.
Learning Objectives: Public health social work participants will be able to
Keywords: Depression, Epidemiology
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.