Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 May;31(4):295-303.
doi: 10.1097/DBP.0b013e3181dbadc7.

Examining depressive symptoms and use of counseling in the past year among Filipino and non-Hispanic white adolescents in California

Joyce R Javier  1 , Maureen Lahiff, Rizaldy R Ferrer, Lynne C Huffman
Affiliations

Examining depressive symptoms and use of counseling in the past year among Filipino and non-Hispanic white adolescents in California

Joyce R Javier et al. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2010 May.

Abstract

Objective: We compared measures of depressive symptoms and use of counseling in the past year for Filipino versus non-Hispanic white adolescents in California.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from 4421 adolescents who completed the 2003 and 2005 California Health Interview Survey. Bivariate analyses, linear regression, and logistic regression were performed.

Results: Compared to non-Hispanic white adolescents, Filipino adolescents had higher mean 8-item version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores (5.43 vs 3.94) and were more likely to report a clinically significant level of depressive symptoms (defined as 8-item version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score > or = 7) (29.0 vs 17.9%). Filipino adolescents are just as likely as their non-Hispanic white counterparts to report low use of counseling in the past year (17.6 vs 28.4%). Multivariate analyses indicate that depressive symptoms were positively associated with Filipino ethnicity, female gender, living in a single parent household, lower parental education, and poverty. The effect that ethnicity had on use of counseling in the past year varied by gender, income level, and parental education level. Filipino male adolescents with family incomes > or = 300% federal poverty level and parents with more than a college degree were significantly less likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to report use of counseling in the past year (odds ratio, 0.01; confidence interval, 0.0004-0.44). Filipino female adolescents with family incomes <300% federal poverty level and parental education less than a college degree were significantly more likely to report use of counseling than their non-Hispanic white counterparts (odds ratio, 3.99; confidence interval, 1.00-15.89).

Conclusion: Further studies and interventions are needed to effectively screen for and treat depression among Filipino adolescents.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General—Executive Summary. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services; Rockville, MD: 1999.
    1. Burns BJ, Costello EJ, Angold A, Tweed D, Stangl D, Farmer EM. Children's mental health service use across service sectors. Health Aff. 1995;14:147–159. - PubMed
    1. U.S. Census Bureau . We the people: Asians in the United States. U.S. Department of Commerce; Washington, DC: 2004.
    1. Ghosh C. Healthy People 2010 and Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders: defining a baseline of information. Am J Public Health. 2003;93:2093–2098. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dela Cruz M, Agbayani-Siewert P. Filipinos. In: Lai E, Arguelles D, editors. The New Face of Asian Pacific America: Numbers, Diversity, and Change in the 21st Century. Asian American Studies Center Press; San Francisco, CA: 2003. pp. 45–50.

Publication types