Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms and resiliency among African American women in a community-based primary health care center

J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2013 Nov;24(4 Suppl):79-93. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2014.0012.

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional pilot study was to determine the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms and resiliency among 290 African American women (AAW) in a community-based primary health care center. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Findings indicate that depressive symptoms are experienced by 49% of the participants, while 10% indicated a history of suicidal ideation. Participants had moderately high resiliency scores that had a statistically significant inverse relationship with depressive symptoms. This suggests that resiliency is potentially a protective factor for depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were positively correlated with participants' diagnosis of at least one chronic disease. The strongest predictors of depressive symptoms were previous diagnoses of a mental health condition and unemployment. This study identifies risk and potential protective factors for depression among a clinic sample of AAW.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Black People*
  • Chronic Disease / epidemiology
  • Chronic Disease / psychology
  • Community Health Centers
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Depression / epidemiology*
  • Depression / psychology
  • Female
  • Georgia / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Mental Disorders / epidemiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Pilot Projects
  • Prevalence
  • Primary Health Care
  • Resilience, Psychological*
  • Risk Factors
  • Unemployment / psychology
  • Young Adult