摘要：Depression prevalence was examined by race/ethnicity in a nationally representative sample. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule was administered to 8449 (response rate=96.1%) participants (aged 15–40 years). Prevalence of major depressive disorder was significantly higher in Whites than in African Americans and Mexican Americans; the opposite pattern was found for dysthymic disorder. Across racial/ethnic groups, poverty was a significant risk factor for major depressive disorder, but significant interactions occurred between race/ethnicity, gender, and education in relation to prevalence of dysthymic disorder. Published data regarding prevalence of depression by race/ethnicity are contradictory. Some studies report higher rates of major depressive disorder in African American compared with White individuals, 1 – 3 whereas others report lower or equivalent rates in African American individuals. 4 – 7 Few studies have examined dysthymic disorder by race/ethnicity. 7 The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of major depressive disorder and dysthymic disorder in the general United States population by race/ethnicity.
