Low Social Status Markers: Do They Predict Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence?

Some markers of social disadvantage are associated robustly with depressive symptoms among adolescents: female gender and
lower socioeconomic status (SES), respectively. Others are associated equivocally, notably black v. white race/ethnicity.
Few studies examine whether markers of social disadvantage by gender, SES, and race/ethnicity jointly predict self-reported
depressive symptoms during adolescence; this was our goal. Secondary analyses were conducted on data from a socioeconomically
diverse community-based cohort study of non-Hispanic black and white adolescents (N = 1,263, 50.4% female). Multivariable general linear models tested whether female gender, black race/ethnicity, and lower
SES (assessed by parent education and household income) and their interactions predicted greater depressive symptoms reported
on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Models adjusted for age and pubertal status. Univariate analyses
revealed more depressive symptoms in females, blacks, and participants with lower SES. Multivariable models showed females
across both racial/ethnic groups reported greater depressive symptoms; blacks demonstrated more depressive symptoms than did
whites, but when SES was included this association disappeared. Exploratory analyses suggested blacks gained less mental health
benefit from increased SES. However, there were no statistically significant interactions among gender, race/ethnicity, or
SES. Taken together, we conclude that complex patterning among low social status domains within gender, race/ethnicity, and
SES predicts depressive symptoms among adolescents.