Racial Differences in the Onset of Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Considering heterogeneity within immigrant population, this study aimed to examine racial variations in the onset of MDD and the factors associated with the onset of MDD among immigrants in the United States.

Methods: Data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES) were analyzed. The sample consisted of 19,729 adults from diverse racial groups including Asians, Latinos, African-Americans, and non-Latino Whites. Kaplan-Meier method was employed to estimate survival functions by race. Cox proportional hazards model was employed to explore the factors associated with the onset of MDD, after controlling for socio-demographic and immigration-related characteristics.

Results: About 14% of the sample had experienced MDD in their lifetime. Asians showed the highest survival function, followed by African-Americans. Although Latinos and non-Latino Whites showed similar patterns to each other, Latinos had the lowest survival function. Cox proportional hazards model indicated that those who were younger, males, non-Asians were more likely to experience the onset of MDD when compared to their older, females, and Asians counterparts. Among immigration-related characteristics, only age at immigration was significantly associated with the onset of MDD among immigrants (p<.05).

Conclusion: Findings from this study show that different racial groups experience different patterns of the onset of MDD over time. Exploring the factors associated with the onset of MDD will help public health providers to identify vulnerable subgroups among immigrant population and, in turn, to promote adequate mental health services for them.