The Relationship Between Acculturation And Depression In Latina Teens

The lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder and dysthymia among teens and adults is 8.3% (n=14974). Teens throughout the US are more likely to experience a major depressive disorder when compared to adults (10.4% vs. 9.4%)(Kessler et al., 2010). Latinos may me at higher risk of mental health problems due to additional stressors such as low socioeconomic status (SES), limited access to services, and cultural stigma towards mental health services (Rossello, & Bernal, 1999). Latinos who have a high rate of acculturation are at greater risk of developing depressive symptoms. This may be due to highly acculturated families having less of an emphasis on familismo which is a cultural value focusing on respecting and helping others in the family (Padilla et al., 2011). American born Latino teens may have a higher rate of acculturation than their parents which has been shown to be related to increased family conflict and lower family support (Chun, & Akutsu, 2003). This dynamic puts Latino teens at an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms (Chun, & Akutsu, 2003; Santisteban, & Mitrani, 2003). This study examined data from 43 Latina teens in 11th and 12th grade to determine the relationship between level of acculturation and diagnosis of a major depressive episode, minor depression, and current symptoms of depression. There were no significant relationships found between acculturation, depressive symptoms, and current and past depression diagnoses. Over half of the sample (58.2%) reported a depression diagnosis at baseline and almost one third (27.9%) reported a depression diagnosis at follow-up indicating that a high number of Latina teens were experiencing depression at the clinical level. Thus, suggesting that participants in the sample would benefit from culturally competent services to address their mental health needs. The limited significant findings in this study may be due to the small sample size and the low acculturation level of the participants. Future research needs to be done with a large and more diverse sample in terms of acculturation levels in order for findings to be generalizable to other Latina teens.