Casting the net for "depression" among ethnic minority children from the high-risk urban communities

Abstract

This paper reviews the current research on depressive phenomena among urban ethnic minority children from resource-poor communities. Developmental differences in the prevalence and reporting of depressive phenomena are discussed. The relationships between depressive phenomena and stressful life events, parental styles, anxiety, child-coping strategies, and scholastic maladjustment are explored. The authors critique the psychometric equivalency, construct validity, diagnostic sensitivity, and terminology of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Methodological and conceptual alternatives are proposed, and the utility and validity of various measures of depressive phenomena in children are examined. The review highlights the authors's perspective that a depressive phenomenon among young school-aged children from resource-poor communities is best described as a complex response to environment, rather than a biologically determined disease entity.