Background: Depression is present in all societies and affects members of all racial and ethnic groups. However, attitudes about depression differ across groups and have been shown to impact help-seeking behaviors, preferences for treatments, and compliance with treatments.
Methods: Taking a cross-cultural approach, this project used a case vignette of depression to examine race/ethnic group differences in attitudes about depression and its treatment among young adults in the U.S.
Results: Data analyses revealed significant racial/ethnic group differences in attitudes as well as the treatments/strategies participants reported they would use. Gender x race/ethnicity interactions revealed that White and Multiracial/ethnic men were more likely to believe the vignette character should find a partner to help with symptoms, while White and Multiracial/ethnic women did not endorse those strategies. Hispanic men and women did not show a gender difference in that strategy, but gender differences were observed in other strategies. In a rare comparison, majority-minority Multiracial/ethnic participants (i.e., White selected as one of their races/ethnicities) rated identified helpers and treatments similarly to White participants and significantly higher than multiple-minority Multiracial participants (i.e., White not selected as one of their races/ethnicities).
Conclusions: Findings supported previous research that indicates different U.S. racial/ethnic group ideas of depression and its treatment are potentially linked with cultural values, and we suggest that investigating these more fine-grained group differences can help to inform treating professionals as well as public health messages.
Keywords: Attitudes; Coping strategies; Culture; Depression; Multiracial adults; Treatment.
© 2024. The Author(s).