Am J Psychiatry 1990; 147:861-866
Copyright © 1990 by American Psychiatric Association
Symptoms of major depression among Mexican-Americans and non-Hispanic whites
JM Golding, M Karno and CM Rutter
School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles.
The lifetime prevalence of symptoms of a major depressive episode was
estimated in two large samples of randomly selected community residents
that included many Mexican-Americans. Approximately 5% to 40% of the
subjects reported each symptom cluster. The rates for Mexican-Americans
born in the United States resembled those for non-Hispanic whites born in
the United States; however, the rates for Mexican-Americans born in Mexico
were lower in eight of nine symptoms clusters. Language differences did not
account for this pattern. Cultural similarity to non-Hispanic whites born
in the United States was associated with a higher rate of depressive
symptoms.
