Estimates of Major Depressive Disorder and Treatment Among Adolescents by Race and Ethnicity

Determinants to Tele-Mental Health Services Utilization Among California Adults: Do Immigration-Related Variables Matter?

To investigate the relationship of predisposing, enabling, need, and immigration-related factors to tele-mental health services utilization among California adults, we conducted a secondary analysis of two waves of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) collected between 2015 and 2018 (N = 78,345). A series of logistic regression models were conducted to examine correlates and predictors to tele-mental health services use. Approximately 1.3% reported the use of tele-mental health services. Overall, health insurance status, severe psychological distress, perceived need for mental health services, and identifying as Asian, remained strong predictors for tele-mental health service use. When accounting for all factors, we found that being a non-citizen was associated with lower odds of tele-mental health service use (AOR = 0.47, CI = 0.26, 0.87, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that citizenship, resources to access, and perceived need for mental health care collectively are the most significant factors driving the use of tele-mental health services. There is a need to address inequitable access to tele-mental health services among immigrants who do not qualify for healthcare coverage due to citizenship status.

Equity in Mental Health Care Receipt among Youth Who Use School-Based Health Centers

INTRODUCTION

Youth experience significant mental health (MH) needs, and gender- and racially/ethnically-diverse youth are less likely than peers to receive care. School-based health centers (SBHCs) are a healthcare delivery model that may decrease disparities. This study examined the role of SBHCs in reducing disparities in MH care receipt among SBHC clients.

METHODS

Data from electronic health records of 5,396 youth ages 12 to 21 years who visited 14 SBHCs in one California county from 2021 to 2023 were analyzed in 2023-2024 using multiple logistic regression to assess disparities in MH care receipt and depression screenings.

RESULTS

Receipt of MH care from SBHCs varied significantly by gender but not age, sexual orientation, or race/ethnicity. Compared to female clients, males had reduced odds (AOR: 0.50) and gender-diverse clients had higher odds (AOR: 2.70) of receiving MH care. For receipt of depression screenings, male clients had reduced odds (AOR: 0.86); Latino clients had higher odds than white clients (AOR: 1.80); and older adolescents and young adults had higher odds than younger adolescents (AORs: 1.44 and 1.45, respectively). Receipt of follow-up MH care after a positive depression result varied only by gender, with male clients having reduced odds (AOR: 0.63).

DISCUSSION

SBHCs may reach youth who are traditionally less likely to seek care in other settings, including racially/ethnically- and gender-diverse youth. As in other settings, engaging males in healthcare is an area for improvement. These findings help to demonstrate the potential of SBHCs for decreasing disparities in mental health care.

Interpersonal symptoms in adolescence depression across Asian and European regions: a network approach

BACKGROUND

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) poses a significant global health challenge, with symptom presentation potentially varying between adolescents and adults. Adolescence is a critical period marked by heightened vulnerability to interpersonal stresses, yet the impact of these stresses on the structure of depressive symptoms is not well understood. Recognizing the cultural nuances in how depression manifests among adolescents is crucial. To this end, this paper employs a network analysis approach, utilizing a comprehensive symptom checklist from the Multidimensional Depression Assessment Scale (MDAS). Our study investigates the role of interpersonal symptoms within the broader cluster of emotional, cognitive, and somatic symptoms and explores variations in adolescent groups in four Asian and European regions.

METHODS

We recruited a diverse sample of 6,348 adolescents aged 12 to 18 from Hong Kong, Taiwan, the UK, China, and the Netherlands using the Qualtrics platform. Employing the Gaussian Graphical Model, we established a network model of depressive symptoms as measured by the MDAS, segregating the sample into Asian and European regions to examine the interconnections between them. The study focused on identifying central symptom nodes and comparing the network structures between the two groups.

RESULTS

The analysis identified feeling worthless, low energy, being a burden to others, and low mood as central symptoms of depression. Notably, there were significant differences in the connections between depressive symptoms among Asian (Hong Kong, China and Taiwan) and European (UK and the Netherlands) adolescents, highlighting cultural variations in how interpersonal symptoms interact with emotional, cognitive, and somatic symptoms.

CONCLUSION

This study is pioneering in applying network analysis to include interpersonal symptoms in examining depression among a diverse adolescent population. It demonstrates that interpersonal symptoms are integral to the central features of depressive symptoms. Furthermore, our findings suggest that, compared to their UK and Dutch peers, interpersonal symptoms in Asian adolescents are uniquely connected to other symptom clusters, reflecting distinct cultural patterns.

LIMITATIONS

The study engaged a broad community sample; however, future research could benefit from including a larger sample size to allow for a more detailed analysis of a greater number of symptom nodes.

Depression and Anxiety Among US Children and Young Adults

Importance

Data from surveys show increased mental health disorders in youths. However, little is known about clinical diagnosis over time.

Objective

To assess the incidence, prevalence, and changes from 2017 to 2021 for depression and anxiety diagnosed clinically among children, adolescents, and young adults and to identify potential disparities.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study included approximately 1.7 million individuals aged 5 to 22 years in Southern California. Data were extracted from electronic medical records; International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), codes were used to identify depression and/or anxiety diagnosis for each study year from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021. Rates were stratified by age, gender, race and ethnicity, estimated household income, weight status, and comorbidity history. Changes over time and association with these variables were assessed using Poisson regression. Data were analyzed between June 1, 2022, and November 29, 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Clinical diagnosis of (1) depression and (2) anxiety without a depression diagnosis using ICD-10 codes.

Results

Among the 1.7 million participants, mean (SD) age was approximately 14 (5) years, and 51% were male. In terms of race and ethnicity for each study year, approximately 50% of participants were Hispanic; 8%, non-Hispanic Asian; 8%, non-Hispanic Black; and 23%, non-Hispanic White. From 2017 to 2021, depression diagnosis increased by 55.6% (from 1.35% to 2.10%) for incidence and 60.0% (from 2.55% to 4.08%) for prevalence; anxiety without depression diagnosis increased by 31.1% (from 1.77% to 2.32%) for incidence and 35.2% (from 3.13% to 4.22%) for prevalence (P < .001 for trend). The increases in rates were higher during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021) than before the pandemic (2017-2019), except for depression incidence. Rates increased across all subgroups. Rates were highest for subgroups aged 14 to 17 and 18 to 22 years; female participants; those of non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic White, or multiple races or ethnicities; and subgroups with higher household income, obesity (and underweight for anxiety without depression), or comorbidities. Among these factors, age was the most important factor for depression diagnosis, whereas weight status was the most important factor for anxiety without depression diagnosis.

Conclusions and Relevance

This cohort study, using electronic medical record data from a large integrated health care system, found an increase in clinically diagnosed depression from 2017 to 2021, with a higher increase during the COVID-19 pandemic and higher rates in some subgroups. Equally important, this study identified high rates and an increase in clinical diagnosis of anxiety without a depression diagnosis. These results support the increased need in public health and health care effort to combat the mental health crisis in youths.

Housing instability patterns among low-income, urban Black young adults in California and associations with mental health outcomes: baseline data from a randomized waitlist-controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Deep-rooted racial residential segregation and housing discrimination have given rise to housing disparities among low-income Black young adults in the US. Most studies have focused on single dimensions of housing instability, and thus provide a partial view of how Black young adults experience multiple, and perhaps overlapping, experiences of housing instability including homelessness, frequent moves, unaffordability, or evictions. We aimed to illuminate the multiple forms of housing instability that Black young adults contend with and examine relationships between housing instability and mental health outcomes.

METHODS

Using baseline data from the Black Economic Equity Movement (BEEM) guaranteed income trial with 300 urban low-income Black young adults (aged 18-24), we conducted a three-stage latent class analysis using nine housing instability indicators. We identified distinct patterns by using fit indices and theory to determine the optimal number of latent classes. We then used multinomial logistic regression to identify subpopulations disproportionately represented within unstable housing patterns. Finally, we estimated associations between housing experience patterns and mental health outcomes: depression, anxiety, and hope.

RESULTS

We found high prevalence of housing instability with 27.3% of participants reporting experiences of homelessness in the prior year and 39.0% of participants reporting multiple measures of housing instability. We found the 4-class solution to be the best fitting model for the data based on fit indices and theory. Latent classes were characterized as four housing experience patterns: 1) more stably housed, 2) unaffordable and overcrowded housing, 3) mainly unhoused, and 4) multiple dimensions of housing instability. Those experiencing unaffordable and overcrowded housing and being mainly unhoused were more than four times as likely to have symptoms of depression (Unaffordable: aOR = 4.57, 95% CI: 1.64, 12.72; Unhoused: aOR = 4.67, 95% CI:1.18, 18.48) and more than twice as likely to report anxiety (Unaffordable: aOR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.03, 5.04; Unhoused: aOR = 3.36, 95% CI: 1.12, 10.05) compared to the more stably housed pattern. We found that hope scores were similarly high across patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

High prevalence of housing instability and mental health challenges among low-income Black young adults demands tailored interventions to reduce instability, given widening racial disparities and implications for future well-being into adulthood.

Scoping review on mental health standards for Black youth: identifying gaps and promoting equity in community, primary care, and educational settings

BACKGROUND

Youth mental health is a growing concern in research, practice, and policy. Practice standards, guidelines, or strategies provide an invisible infrastructure that fosters equity, quality, and safety, potentially addressing inconsistencies and more effectively attending to the mental wellness of Black youth as a particular population of concern. This scoping review aimed to address the following question: What standards exist for the delivery of mental health services to Black youth in community, primary care, and educational settings? Due to a limited initial search yield on publications about standards for the delivery of mental health services for Black youth population, our goal was then to identify and map mental health standards, recommendations, or guidelines for the delivery of mental health services using the same settings to all youth.

METHODS

Searches were conducted in various databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, SocINDEX, CINAHL, Gender Studies Database, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Screening was independently conducted by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by a third. Information extraction was performed by two independent reviewers.

RESULTS

Out of the 2,701 screened publications, 54 were included in this scoping review. Among them, 38.9% were published between 2020 and 2023, with 40.7% originating from the United States of America, 20.4% from the United Kingdom, and 13% from Canada. Concerning the settings, 25.9% of the publications focused on primary care, 24.1% on health care services, 20.4% on educational settings, and 3.7% on the community. Additionally, 25.9% were classified as general because recommendations were applicable to various settings. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (11.1%) was the most frequently considered specific condition, followed by autism spectrum disorder (9.3%) and depression (9.3%). However, 31.5% of the included references addressed mental health in general. Only three references provided specific recommendations for the Black population.

CONCLUSIONS

Recommendations, guidelines, or standards for Black youth mental health services in community, primary care, or educational settings are scarce and limited to North American countries. This scoping review emphasizes the need to consider ethnicity when developing guidelines or standards to improve racial equity and reduce disparities in access to mental health services.

Engaging Black youth in depression and suicide prevention treatment within urban schools: study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot

BACKGROUND

Depression continues to be an ongoing threat to adolescent well-being with Black adolescents being particularly vulnerable to greater burdens of depression as well as lower mental health service utilization. Black adolescents are likely to have untreated depression due to social network influences, varied perceptions of services and providers, or self-stigma associated with experiencing depressive symptoms. Furthermore, if or when treatment is initiated, low engagement and early termination are common. To address this gap, a trial is being conducted to preliminarily test the effectiveness of an engagement intervention targeting Black adolescents with depression in school mental health services in New York City.

METHODS

A total of 60 Black middle and high school adolescents displaying depressive symptoms are equally randomized (based on school site) to the treatment arms. Both trial arms deliver Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A), a time-limited, evidence-based treatment for depression. Additionally, one arm pairs IPT-A with a brief, multi-level engagement intervention, the Making Connections Intervention (MCI), involving adolescents, caregivers, and clinicians. Outcomes of interest are group differences in depression and suicide ideation, adolescent and caregiver engagement, and mental health service use.

DISCUSSION

This trial will serve as an efficacy assessment of the MCI among a sample of Black adolescent students with depressive symptoms. Clinical and implementation results will be used to inform future research to further test the MCI intervention in a larger sample.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registered by ClinicalTrials.gov on May 3, 2019, identifier: NCT03940508.