These inequities are increasingly linked to social, economic, and environmental determinants such as low income, underresourced educational opportunities, inadequate housing, and lack of access to quality mental health treatment ( 6– 9). In sum, the burden of depression appears to be higher among African Americans compared with White Americans ( 2).Īfrican American adults are less likely to receive depression treatment than are their White counterparts ( 4, 5). For example, African American adults with depression rate their symptoms as more severe, have a longer course of illness, and experience greater disability ( 2, 3). In light of the profoundly different experiences of African Americans who experience depression (i.e., a more persistent course of illness and greater disability), it is critical to examine whether an emerging explanation for some of these differences is the intergenerational transmission of this disorder due to structural racism.ĭepression among individuals who have been racially and ethnically minoritized in the United States can be vastly different from that seen in White Americans ( 1). The authors propose that understanding risk factors for depression, particularly its intergenerational reach, requires accounting for structural racism.
The purpose of this review was to conceptualize how structural racism and cumulative trauma can be fundamental drivers of the intergenerational transmission of depression. For example, African American adults who have depression rate their symptoms as more severe, have a longer course of illness, and experience more depression-associated disability. Depression among individuals who have been racially and ethnically minoritized in the United States can be vastly different from that of non-Hispanic White Americans.