Diagnosing Hispanic Psychiatric Patients

Roberts, Robert

Abstract

This is an application for research on epidemiological issues in the study of psychiatric disorders among Hispanic Americans. Substantive foci will be the mental health of Mexican Americans and other Hispanics (Cubans and Puerto Ricans), prevalence of depressive disorders in these populations, and risk factors for such disorders in these different subcultural contexts. The research objectives will be pursued analyzing data from three large-scale mental health studies which share important methodologic features: (1) A study of 750 psychiatric patients (about 2/3 are Hispanic) from San Antonio, Texas; (2) A study of over 3,000 residents (about 1/2 are Hispanic) of Venice and East Los Angeles, California, surveyed as part of the UCLA Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) project; and (3) A study of over 6,000 Hispanics (Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, and Puerto Ricans) included as part of the national Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES). The Texas and California studies both employed the same core measures (i.e., DIS, CES-D, acculturation, etc.) so that comparable data are available on both a large hospital-based sample and a large community-based sample of Hispanics assessed in both English and Spanish. The HHANES also includes the CED-D and some of the same acculturation items as well as the depression section from the DIS administered in English and Spanish. In addition, the California study and HHANES also contain data on an array of psychosocial risk factors as well as physical health and use of health services. The prevalence of clinical and nonclinical depression and risk factors for these disorders will be studied using the ECA and the HHANES data. Reliability and validity of the DIS in English and Spanish will be assessed using the San Antonio data. Phenomenology of clinical depression will be studied using all three data sets. Concordance of the CES-D and DIS also will be assessed using all three data sets.