Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117665

Alysia Kwon, ScM, Community Health Sciences, UCLA School of Public Health, 2658 Griffith Park Blvd., #132, Los Angeles, CA 90039, 323 666 7699, ayk@ucla.edu

Do undocumented immigrant mothers face more mental health difficulties than documented immigrant mothers? Does citizenship or resident status predict which mothers are more likely to have 1) untreated depression and 2) any diagnosis of major depression? This paper will describe the prevalence of depression among Latino immigrants of differing legal status, holding constant economic status and insurance status. Data will be from Wave 1 of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Study Public Use Data (L.A.FANS) a longitudinal study designed for multilevel statistical analysis. Los Angeles County includes 88 separate cities and many unincorporated areas and is spread over 4,083 square miles. The sample of 1,899 primary care givers (mothers) is extremely diverse since it includes densely populated areas as well as sparsely populated desert and mountain areas and suburban neighborhoods throughout the county. While Los Angeles County differs geographically from other metropolitan areas, it shares many of the same urban problems such as poverty, poor access to health care, violence in schools and neighborhoods and high frequency of single-parent families. This research is essential as Los Angeles faces a growing Latino immigrant population with varying health needs.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• List key predictors of maternal depression in Latino families.
• Understand the prevalence of depression among Latino immigrants in Los Angeles county.
• Describe the difference between major depression diagnosis and depressive symptomatology.

Keywords: Maternal Well-Being, Latino Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.