Prevalence of depression in Los Angeles County.

The occurrence of depression was determined during the summer of 1979 in a multi-ethnic probability sample of 1003 adults (66% participation) in Los Angeles County, as part of a community survey of the epidemiology of depression and help-seeking behavior. The primary measure of depression was the 20-item CES-D scale developed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies. The overall prevalence of depression based on a CES-D cutpoint definition of 16 or greater was 19.1%. The prevalence of depression was greatest among Hispanics (27.4%) and least among whites (15.6%), with blacks and others at an intermediate level (21.8% and 21.2%, respectively). Females (23.5%) were nearly twice as likely to be depressed as males (12.9%). By age, persons 18-24 years reported the highest rate of depression (27.4%), while those 45-64 years reported the lowest (16.3%). As expected, the prevalence of depression was strongly related to family income, with the highest level reported for those earning less than $8500 (29.3%); the lowest level for those earning more than $25,000 (9.0%). After controlling for effects of selected demographic and socioeconomic variables, neither race nor ethnicity were significantly related to the presence of depression. This suggests that the economic strain experienced by many minorities may be an important determinant of higher rates of depression among blacks and Hispanics.