Lucinda Nevarez
Published: 2010
Total Pages: 338
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The proposed study examines the relationship between discrimination and depression among Mexican and Mexican-American participants of the National Epidemiological Survey (NESARC). The NESARC is a longitudinal survey of a national probability sample of the non-institutionalized population of the United States. The NESARC was conducted in two waves from 2001 to 2005. NESARC data was collected through computer assisted face-to-face interviews, using the AUDADIS IV. This dissertation uses only on Wave 2 data because the six scales examining discrimination were not added to the NESARC until the second wave. The discrimination scales gather data on discriminatory experiences related to being Hispanic, weight, gender, physical disability, religion, and sexual orientation. Analyses do not include discrimination due to physical disability and discrimination due to sexual orientation because of low response rates within these two variables. A Discrimination Summative Index created in this dissertation from the four discrimination sub-scales (discrimination due to: being Hispanic, gender, religion and weight) measures the cumulative impact of discrimination on depression. The analyses also examine the influence of contextual variables such as age, income, nativity, and race/ethnic identification. Logistic Regressions consistently indicate a relationship between discrimination and higher rates of depression. Results suggest that various contextual factors mediate the relationship between discrimination and depression. Although findings do not support a direct relationship between discrimination strategy and depression rates, discrimination strategies identified as internalizing were associated with many of the contextual variables that contribute to both discrimination and depression. Findings suggest that the sample differs by sub-groups (Mexican, Mexican American or Chicano) on multiple key variables. These findings suggest that even within a population thought to share a similar background, multiple differences persist. This is particularly relevant when studying the Hispanic population, which encompasses a wide diversity of ethnic origins.