The Role of Perceived Discrimination during Childhood and Adolescence inUnderstanding Racial and Socioeconomic Influences on Depression inYoung hood
Erika R. Cheng, Alyssa Cohen, Elizabeth Goodman
DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.10.010 Abstract
Objective
To describe levels of perceived lifetime discrimination among young s and determine its role in understanding this racial/ethnic disparity.
Study design
Data were from the Princeton School District study, a 10-year cohort study in which investigators followed 545 non-Hispanic black (46%) and white initial 5-12 graders. Perceived lifetime racial discrimination was assessed with the General Ethnic Discrimination Scale and depressive symptoms with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Stepped linear and logistic regression yses assessed the relationships of race/ethnicity, parental education, and quintiles of discrimination to depressive symptoms. Stratification by race/ethnicity explored differences in the role of discrimination in explaining the relationship between parental education and depressive symptoms.
Results
Black students from professionally educated families had the greatest discrimination scores, 1.8 times greater than among their white peers (meanblack=42.1 vs meanwhite=22.8;P<.0001). Greater parental education was associated with lower depressive symptoms in all regression models. Race/ethnicity became predictive of depressive symptoms only after adjusting for discrimination, which was strongly associated with depressive symptoms. Stratified ysis suggested discrimination accounted for the relationship of parental education to depressive symptoms among whites. Among black subjects, accounting for discrimination unmasked a buffering effect of parental education.
Conclusions
Greater levels of parent education are protective against depression for white youth. However, for black youth, greater parent education confers both risk and protective effects. The high discrimination among black youth from families with college or professionally educated parents overwhelms the protective effect of greater levels of parent education.
