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Research Article: Antidepressant use among Asians in the United States
Author(s) -
González Hector M.,
Tarraf Wassim,
West Brady T.,
Chan Domin,
Miranda Patricia Y.,
Leong Fredrick T.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
depression and anxiety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.634
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1520-6394
pISSN - 1091-4269
DOI - 10.1002/da.20636
Subject(s) - vietnamese , depression (economics) , antidepressant , medicine , anxiety , mental health , psychiatry , psychiatric epidemiology , epidemiology , socioeconomic status , demography , gerontology , environmental health , population , philosophy , linguistics , sociology , economics , macroeconomics
Objectives : We examined the prevalence and predictors of past‐year antidepressant use in a nationally representative sample of Asian Americans and non‐Latino Whites. Methods : Analyses of 12‐month antidepressant medication use were based on data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys that surveyed Asian (Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, and others; N=2,284) and non‐Latino White (N=6,696) household residents ages 18 years and older in the 48 contiguous United States and Hawaii. Results : Prevalence rates for 12‐month antidepressant use for Asians with major depression ranged from 8.7% among Vietnamese to 17% among Chinese respondents. Compared to non‐Latino Whites (32.4%), all Asians (10.9%) meeting criteria for 12‐month depressive and anxiety disorders, but especially Filipinos (8.8%) were less likely to report past‐year antidepressant use. Conclusions : We found disparities in past‐year antidepressant use among all the examined major Asian groups meeting criteria for 12‐month depressive and anxiety disorders. These disparities were not explained by mental health need or socioeconomic factors that enable access to care. Depression and Anxiety, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.