Abstract
Background: The growing Latino immigrant population in the U.S. has sparked interest in understanding their mental health, particularly depression. This study examines the relationship between acculturation and depression among Latino immigrants.
Methods: Using data from the 2017-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), this study assessed depression among 1,369 Latino immigrants aged 20-80 years. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), categorizing severity as none-minimal (0-4), mild (5-9), moderate (10-14), moderately severe (15-19), and severe (20-27). Logistic regression models analyzed the association between depression (moderate/severe vs. none/mild) and factors like age, gender, marital status, income, insurance, country of birth, and acculturation (length of U.S. residency and primary language spoken at home). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated.
Results: Among the 1,369 participants (48.28% males; 51.72% females), depression severity was: none-minimal (72.90%), mild (17.75%), moderate (6.28%), moderately severe (2.26%), and severe (0.80%). Being female was significantly associated with higher odds of depression (aOR=1.964; 95%CI=1.318-2.927; p=0.0009). Widowed/divorced/separated individuals had higher odds in univariate analysis (OR=1.874; 95%CI=1.173-2.994; p=0.0086), but not in multivariable analysis (aOR=1.303; 95%CI=0.678-2.502; p=0.4267). Living below the poverty line showed higher odds in both univariate (OR=1.406; 95%CI=0.959-2.062; p=0.0809) and multivariable analyses (aOR=1.443; 95%CI=0.934-2.232; p=0.0987). Higher education levels were associated with reduced odds of depression in multivariable analysis (aOR=0.587; 95%CI=0.358-1.023; p=0.0348). Acculturation measures were not statistically significant predictors.
Conclusions: Gender, marital status, and income significantly impact depression among Latino immigrants. Acculturation factors showed trends but were not statistically significant.