Factors contributing to depressive symptoms among Mexican Americans and Latinos.

Survey results from 90 Mexican Americans and Latinos found that individuals who experienced social and economic challenges were more likely to self-report depressive symptoms. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among this sample was 30 percent. Results from a logistic regression analysis identified three significant predictors for depressive symptoms: (1) Individuals concerned about discrimination were twice as likely to self-report depressive symptoms; (2) individuals with concerns about access to medical care had a greater likelihood of having depressive symptoms by 94.8 percent; and (3) those who had experienced a dramatic loss of income were 1.1 times more likely to have depressive symptoms than those who had not experienced income loss. Results from the study also confirmed that the majority of Mexican Americans and Latinos prefer to seek assistance for mental health issues from a medical doctoral or from indigenous community resources, such as family members, friends, and religious consultation. Strategies for overcoming barriers to receive adequate and culturally competent mental health care and for coping with dramatic loss of income may help to alleviate depressive symptoms among the Mexican American and Latino populations.