Racial Disparities in HRQoL in Community Residing People with Depressive Disorders

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults and is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Given recent mental health funding cuts in many states across the country, there is concern that even the most common mental health disorders are not being treated adequately.  Additionally, people in racial and ethnic minority groups experience greater hardship accessing health care and receiving quality treatment. Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is a utility measure that is indicative of quality and comprehensive care. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to examine racial/ethnic disparities in HRQoL for those with depression. We used data from the 2011 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). A linear probability model was built using Generalized Linear Regression with the dependent variable HRQoL operationalized by the BRFSS “healthy days” question. In order to isolate the effect of depression on HRQoL for people in different racial groups, a comprehensive set of control variables measuring factors known to influence HRQ0L were entered into the model. According to the model, the slope estimate (β) of .317 (-0.281, 0.426) indicates African-Americans diagnosed with depression are on average nearly one-third more likely to experience an additional day of disability in a month, compared to people in other racial categories, ceteris paribus. This presentation will discuss health policy recommendations and public health intervention points related to disproportionately low HRQoL for African-Americans with depression.