The Rutgers University-led study found that depressed African-American adolescents tend to complain about conflicts with others and about having difficulty sleeping, as opposed to feelings of sadness and lack of energy more typically associated with depression. The researchers suggested these differences should be taken into consideration when creating treatment plans. For some teens, interpersonal psychotherapy may especially be helpful, said Wenhau Lu, an assistant professor of childhood studies at Rutgers-Camden.
“Adolescent depression is a dire public concern in the United States, and an even greater concern among black adolescents where, if left untreated, can disproportionately lead to an escalation of various mental disorders, academic failure, and related issues,” Lu said in a statement.
The study was conducted with nearly 800 African-American youth ages 11 to 21 living in nine public housing developments, including two in North Philadelphia. The other cities included New York City, St. Louis, Mo., and Washington, D.C.
The assessment tool used in the study was the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), a commonly used screening survey of 20 questions. First developed in the 1970s, it was not designed for screening black youths, Lu said.
When the black adolescents who took the survey admitted to strong or prolonged feelings of loneliness and sadness, those responses also had a tendency to be coupled with affirmative answers to the questions about suicidal thoughts, Lu said.
The study also suggested that sleep complaints among black adolescents should be taken more seriously by family members and other adults.
“Because depression presents differently for these young people, it is important to allow the adolescents to use their terminology when describing their depressive symptoms,” the study states.
“It is imperative, therefore, to identify the ways black adolescents express their symptoms, determine any gender differences in symptom expression, and calibrate existing assessment tools to improve” their usefulness for these young people, the study states.
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