Depressive Symptoms among Puerto Ricans: Island Poor Compared with Residents of the New York City Area

Abstract

This paper compares the distribution and sociodemographic patterns of depressive symptoms among two groups of Puerto Ricans. The data employed for the analysis are from a probability sample of two communities of adults. Puerto Ricans living in poor residential areas on the Island (n = 1,658) and those living in the New York City area (n = 1,267). The first group was interviewed during 1989, and the second during 1984. Symptoms of depression were measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Results show that Puerto Ricans residing in the New York City area and the Island poor have similar levels of high depressive symptomatology, 28.1% and 28.6%, respectively. Results of the logistic regression analysis indicated that female sex, low educational level, low household income, and unemployment are predictors of high depressive symptoms for both samples. These results are similar to findings for other ethnic groups. For Puerto Ricans living in New York, the effect of interviewing in Spanish on high depressive symptoms diminishes after sex, education, and income variables are controlled.

HIV infection, risk behaviors, and depressive symptoms among Puerto Rican sex workers.

“…There are marked differences between these results and those observed in a study on Puerto Rican women on the island and in New York City. 13 The rate of high depressive symptoms for each of these groups was approximately 33%, less than half the level found in our study. These data indicate that the high level of depressive symptoms observed for study participants appears to be a serious problem facing these women.…”

The Latino Mental Health Project: A Local Mental Health Needs Assessment

“…According to the 2000 U.S. Census data, between 1990 and 2000 the Latino population in Worcester grew from 9.6% in 1990 to 15.1% in 2000, a 61% increase (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). The majority of Latinos in Worcester selfidentify as Puerto Rican (65.3%), a group that some researchers have suggested may be particularly at risk for some mental health disorders (e.g., Bassuk, Perloff, & García-Coll, 1998;Cardemil, Kim, Pinedo, & Miller, 2005;Vera et al, 1991).…”

A Comparative Study of Mortality Among Puerto Rican Injection Drug Users in East Harlem, New York, and Bayamon, Puerto Rico

“…We used the cut-off point recommended for the population of Puerto Rico (a score of 20 or more 34 ). History of victimization included questions about ever having been beaten, mugged or robbed, stabbed with a knife, or shot with a weapon.…”