Depression and Antidepressant Use Among Asian and Hispanic Adults: Association with Immigrant Generation and Language Use

Abstract

This research investigates the psychological well-being and usage of medical treatments by Asian and Hispanic immigrant descendants. Using data from all four waves of Add Health study, this paper focuses on two outcomes: (1) depression and (2) levels of antidepressant use by race/ethnicity, immigrant generation, and linguistic acculturation levels during adulthood. Findings reveal that depression is prevalent among Mexican Americans, other Hispanics, and Asian Americans. Furthermore, Mexican Americans and Asian Americans have reported a lower level of antidepressant use than whites, with Asian Americans attaining the lowest level when immigrant generation, language acculturation levels, and other socioeconomic factors are held constant. We also find that those who are linguistically less acculturated have much lower levels of antidepressant use than their monolingual English-speaking counterparts.

Investigating Asian American Adolescents’ Resiliency Factors and Young Adult Mental Health Outcomes at 14-year Follow-up: A Nationally Representative Prospective Cohort Study

“…While it has been repeatedly shown in the literature that Asian Americans underutilize mental health services and are at higher risk for adverse mental health symptomatology, there is limited research that provides insight on how to leverage this community's assets in order to cultivate Asian American adolescents' resiliency for future mental well-being in adulthood [24][25][26]. Furthermore, many existing studies on Asian American mental health utilize crosssectional data and are not national, thus limiting the ability to understand associations between exposures and outcomes over time.…”

“…Overall, Asian Americans report lower rates of psychiatric disorders as compared to their white peers; however, the persistence of these conditions throughout one's lifetime is similar between these two groups [4]. Serious mental illness, which is defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as a mental, emotional, or behavioral condition that significantly limits one's functional ability and impedes one's daily life, increased by almost two-fold among Asian American young adults (ages [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] between 2008 and 2018 [5]. Moreover, suicide was the most common cause of death among 15-24 year-old Asian American youth in 2019 [6].…”