Nadia Khelaifat

Correlates of depressive symptoms among Latino and Non-Latino White adolescents: Findings from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey

BackgroundThe prevalence of depression is increasing not only among adults, but also among adolescents. Several risk factors for depression in youth have been identified, including female gender, increasing age, lower socio-economic status, and Latino ethnic background. The literature is divided regarding the role of acculturation as risk factor among Latino youth. We analyzed the correlates of depressive symptoms among Latino and Non-Latino White adolescents residing in California with a special focus on acculturation.MethodsWe performed an analysis of the adolescent sample of the 2003 California Health Interview Survey, which included 3,196 telephone-interviews with Latino and Non-Latino White adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. Depressive symptomatology was measured with a reduced version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Acculturation was measured by a score based on language in which the interview was conducted, language(s) spoken at home, place of birth, number of years lived in the United States, and citizenship status of the adolescent and both of his/her parents, using canonical principal component analysis. Other variables used in the analysis were: support provided by adults at school and at home, age of the adolescent, gender, socio-economic status, and household type (two parent or one parent household).ResultsUnadjusted analysis suggested that the risk of depressive symptoms was twice as high among Latinos as compared to Non-Latino Whites (10.5% versus 5.5 %, p < 0.001). The risk was slightly higher in the low acculturation group than in the high acculturation group (13.1% versus 9.7%, p = 0.12). Similarly, low acculturation was associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms in multivariate analysis within the Latino subsample (OR 1.54, CI 0.97–2.44, p = 0.07). Latino ethnicity emerged as risk factor for depressive symptoms among the strata with higher income and high support at home and at school. In the disadvantaged subgroups (higher poverty, low support at home and at school) Non-Latino Whites and Latinos had a similar risk of depressive symptoms.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the differences in depressive symptoms between Non-Latino Whites and Latino adolescents disappear at least in some strata after adjusting for socio-demographic and social support variables.

Why Are Clear Migrant Definitions and Classifications Important for Research on Violence Against (Im-)Migrant Women?

Research on violence against (im)migrant women is emerging, but definitions and classifications of immigrants are not consistent, which makes comparisons within and between countries difficult, if not impossible. This is also problematic when studying abused (im)migrant women’s needs and experiences within health care. (Im)migrants are often subsumed under the umbrella terms ethnic minorities, ethnic groups, racial minorities, ethnicity or race, or these terms are used interchangeably. This is partly due to the countries’ different historic and political migration trajectories. Although there are similarities between migrants and ethnic minorities (e.g. a shared geographical and cultural heritage), there are also considerable differences (e.g. the act of migrating to another country and, as a consequence, the loss of a social network). An important dimension, which is often neglected when studying migrant women, is the age at migration, which is indicative of the migrant generation a woman belongs to and important since it influences how well she can adjust to a new country, language and culture. The direction of flow of migration (e.g. South-North vs. North-North) may show how similar the country of origin is to the country of residence (e.g. linguistic proximity between the U.K. and the U.S.) and the different reasons for migration (e.g. work, war; forced vs. voluntary) often affect the legal status. When distinct migrant groups are subsumed and are then compared either with each other, other migrant groups or with non-migrants, this has limitations since it masks heterogeneity. Moreover, domestic violence, being one form of gender violence, needs a broader scope to capture the domestic violence experience of (im)migrant women (e.g. violence committed by extended family members). The following article argues for careful definitions, operalizations, and usage of “migration” and “domestic violence” when conducting research on violence against im(migrant) women to make comparison possible and meaningful.

Themenheft 42 "Gesundheitliche Folgen von Gewalt" Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von häuslicher Gewalt gegen Frauen

Die hohe Betroffenheit von Frauen und Kindern, aber auch von Mannern durch Gewalt im privaten und offentlichen Raum ist mit erheblichen gesundheitlichen Folgen verbunden, die in der arztlichen Diagnostik und gesundheitlichen Pravention zunehmend Beachtung finden sollten. Das Erkennen von Gewalt als Ursache physischer und psychischer Beeintrachtigungen kann zum Abbau von Uber-, Unter- oder/und Fehlversorgung der Betroffenen beitragen. Institutionen des Gesundheitswesens haben daher als haufig erste und einzige Anlaufstelle beim Vorliegen von akuten Verletzungen und gesundheitlichen Folgen von Gewalt eine Schlusselrolle bei der Intervention und Pravention weiterer Gewalt. In dem vorliegenden Themenheft werden - unter besonderer Berucksichtigung von hauslicher Gewalt gegen Frauen - Ergebnisse der nationalen und internationalen Forschung zu gesundheitlichen Folgen von Gewalt prasentiert und Handlungsanleitungen sowie Best-Practice-Ansatze fur den Umgang mit Gewaltbetroffenen vorgestellt.