Examining hopelessness as a link between discrimination and depression among Latinx women: A brief report.

Abstract

Rates of major depression disorder are consistently twice as high for Latinx women compared to Latinx men. Some researchers suggested double rates are due to increased life stress, such as ethnic and sexist discrimination. The current study sought to explore the role of hopelessness as an underlying link between discrimination and depression symptoms among Latinx women. This cross-sectional study included a sample of 309 Latinx women recruited from community and university settings using online and in-person recruitment strategies. Participants completed self-report measures at one-time point. Age, nativity, income, method of recruitment, mode of survey (e.g., online or paper-and-pencil), and language of survey were added as covariates. Simple mediation analyses revealed that hopelessness (indirect effect = .67, SE = .30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [.10, 1.30]) uniquely linked ethnic discrimination and depression symptoms. Additionally, hopelessness (indirect effect = .62, SE = .23, 95% CI = [.20, 1.10]) uniquely linked sexist discrimination and depression symptoms. Hopelessness mediated discrimination and depression symptoms among Latinx women, suggesting that the hopelessness theory of depression extends to discriminatory experiences among Latinx women.