Variations of risk and resilience for depression among Mexican-origin parents

BACKGROUND: Latinos are the largest, fastest growing ethnic minority population in the U.S. Despite the fact that Mexican Americans (MAs) are the largest Latino subgroup, and that research demonstrates high prevalence of mental health problems among MAs, little is known about risk and protective factors for mental illness within this group. Further, children of depressed parents are at increased risk for a range of mental illnesses and more Latino families have children, making it especially important to examine the risk and protective factors associated with depression among MA parents. METHODS: Data come from the first full wave of an ongoing longitudinal studying investigating the role of culture and context in the lives of MA families (n=750 families; 1,996 individuals). MA parents' risk for depression is assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: Preliminary results indicate that 26% of fathers and 46% of mothers are at risk for depression. Further, we explore specific aspects of risk and resilience, including individual, socioeconomic, and contextual characteristics using logistic regression. IMPLICATIONS: Because Latino adults have been found to underutilize mental health services, the results of this study will help to inform public health practitioners/policy makes about which subgroups of MA parents should be targeted for screening/intervention by highlighting risk/protective factors specific to this population. Treatment of parental depression in this population has the potential to prevent mental disorders among children because depression's effect on parenting has been shown to play a critical link between parent and child mental health.