Depressive symptoms in a sample of Afro-Caribbean and Latino immigrant cancer patients: a comparative analysis.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
PURPOSE: This study aims to describe the depressive symptoms in a sample of African-Caribbean and Latino cancer patients and examine differences in specific symptoms between the two groups. METHODS: The sample included immigrant Afro-Caribbean (n = 44) and Latino (n = 145) underserved cancer patients recruited from five hospitals in New York City. Participants completed a questionnaire comprised of measures of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), health-related quality of life (EuroQol 5D), sociodemographic, and health-related questions. RESULTS: Results of the comparison of mean scores and percentage of patients meeting the cutoff scores showed that Afro-Caribbean patients reported comparable depressive symptoms to the Latino patients. But, upon closer inspection of specific symptoms and other self-report variables, Latino patients reported more frequently depressed mood, having a history of a depressive disorder, and overall higher psychological distress than Afro-Caribbean patients. CONCLUSIONS: Different presentation of symptoms associated with depression is expressed by Afro-Caribbean and Latino cancer patients. Studies analyzing in detail the presentation of psychological responses of different cultural groups with chronic medical conditions are greatly needed.
