Journal of Health Psychology
Volume 19, Issue 3, 2014, Pages 381-392

Racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of internalizing symptoms: Do Latin-American immigrant show more symptomatology than Spanish native-born adolescents? (Article)

Romero-Acosta K.* , Penelo E. , Noorian Z. , Ferreira E. , Domènech-Llaberia E.
  • a Department de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus Bellaterra, Edifici B, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
  • b Laboratori d'Estadística Aplicada, Departament de Psicobiologia i Metodologia de les Ciències de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
  • c Department de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus Bellaterra, Edifici B, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
  • d Department de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus Bellaterra, Edifici B, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
  • e Department de Psicologia Clínica i de la Salut, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Campus Bellaterra, Edifici B, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain

Abstract

This study mainly compared the prevalence of internalizing symptoms of 834 Spanish and 159 Latin-American immigrant adolescents. Participants completed self-report measures about depression, anxiety and somatic symptoms and a socio-demographic questionnaire. The results indicated that being Latin-American was associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms and being female was related to higher depressive and anxiety symptoms. Gender differences were more prevalent in Spaniards than in Latinos, with girls showing more symptoms than boys. High socio-economic status was negatively related to depressive symptoms and anxiety. The results may alert clinicians of the importance of assessing depressive symptoms in Latino adolescents in order to treat this group of youths effectively. © The Author(s) 2013.

Author Keywords

physical symptoms Depression Ethnicity Anxiety Adolescence

Index Keywords

anxiety depression South and Central America Latin America human sex difference comorbidity statistics and numerical data comparative study ethnology Humans migrant psychology Adolescent male Emigrants and Immigrants Spain female prevalence Sex Factors Somatoform Disorders
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84894796515&doi=10.1177%2f1359105312471568&partnerID=40&md5=6b475d1250a3938fdb89f42ba277f253
DOI: 10.1177/1359105312471568
ISSN: 13591053
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English