Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 12, Issue 5, 2010, Pages 652-658

Mental health research with Latino farmworkers: A systematic evaluation of the short CES-D (Article)

Grzywacz J.G. , Alterman T. , Muntaner C. , Shen R. , Li J. , Gabbard S. , Nakamoto J. , Carroll D.J.
  • a Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1084, United States
  • b Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH, United States
  • c Center for Addictions and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
  • d Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH, United States
  • e Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluation and Field Studies, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH, United States
  • f Aguirre Division, JBS International, Burlingame, CA, United States
  • g Aguirre Division, JBS International, Burlingame, CA, United States
  • h Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Washington, DC, United States

Abstract

Mental health research among Latino farmworkers is hampered by the absence of measurement evaluation that ensures farmworkers understand and can consistently and appropriately respond to questions about mental health. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 409 farmworkers via interviewer- administered survey questionnaires. Mental health was operationalized with the short-form Center for Epidemiologic Studies, Depression (CES-D) scale. The structured interviewer-administered survey questionnaires included measures to capture personal and work-related factors that could affect farmworkers' ability to understand and respond to mental health questions probed by the CES-D. Good variability in item response was observed across the 10 short-form CES-D items. There was no evidence of differential response across sub-groups of farmworkers for six of the 10 items. Responses to four of the 10 items differed by educational attainment, country of origin, and language preference. Overall, the internal consistency of the 10 items exceeded standard conventions, and observed differences in depressive symptoms were as expected. Researchers in farmworker mental health must remain attentive to the strength and validity of available measures for migrants, different ethnic groups and different socioeconomic backgrounds. Nevertheless, the overall pattern suggests that the CES-D is a viable tool for advancing farmworker mental health research. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.

Author Keywords

Immigrant Mental health CES-D Latino farmworkers Measurement evaluation Depressive symptoms

Index Keywords

evaluation depression psychological aspect mental health human Interview, Psychological Agriculture ethnology Hispanic Americans Cross-Sectional Studies Young Adult cross-sectional study Humans Hispanic male female psychological rating scale Psychiatric Status Rating Scales questionnaire psychologic test Article Questionnaires adult
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79952056214&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-009-9311-2&partnerID=40&md5=57560a5c001d2f9d2c4ffab08563bbb4
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-009-9311-2
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 22
Original Language: English