Correlates of depression in the United States

Purpose To estimate the prevalence of depression and describe its association with age, gender, race, and income level in the U.S. population aged 12 and above. Methods Using data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrationʹs National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002 (NSDUH), we identified depressed individuals as all the respondents who stated that for two or more weeks in the past 12 months they felt “sad, empty, or depressed.” STATA statistical software package was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) to determine the association between depression and various demographic variables. Results The overall prevalence of depression was 17.1% (95% confidence interval CI = 16.5–17.6) (n = 54,079). In females the prevalence was 20.5% (95% CI = 19.7–21.3); in males, it was 13.4% (95% CI = 12.7–14.2). Females were more likely than males to report depression (OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.50–1.77). No statistically significant association was found between depression and race. Compared with the group with yearly family income of $75,000 or more, a statistically significant association was observed between depression and two income groups: the group making $20,000 to $49,000 (OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.22–1.50) and the group making less than $20,000 (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.68–2.11). Age was assessed in four groups. Compared with the age group 12 to 25, statistically significant association was observed with depression in two age groups, 26 to 34 (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.67–2.0) and 35 to 49 (OR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.42–1.66). Conclusion Females were more likely to report depression. An increase in depression was associated with an increase in age until the fifth decade of life, and with lower income level.