ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Comorbid psychiatric conditions in adolescents with depression are a public health concern. However, little is known about the prevalence of comorbidities in separate racial/ethnic groups. This study estimated the national prevalence of comorbidities for black, Hispanic, and white adolescents separately, and compared the prevalence of comorbidities between adolescents with and without depression. METHODS: This secondary analysis used data from the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of U.S. youth. We restricted the sample to 12-17 year olds, and obtained unweighted and weighted descriptive statistics. Using weighted probit regression models, we examined differences in prevalence of comorbidities by adolescents with and without depression for each racial/ethnic group. RESULTS: For black, Hispanic, and white adolescents with depression, the prevalence of comorbidities ranged from 8% to 61% and varied by race/ethnicity (e.g., depression and anxiety were comorbid for 47% of black, 54% of Hispanic, and 59% of white adolescents). For all racial/ethnic groups, adolescents with depression had a higher prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder than adolescents without depression. However, only black and Hispanic adolescents with depression had a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety and behavior problems than their counterparts without depression. In each racial/ethnic group, the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder did not differ between adolescents with and without depression. CONCLUSIONS: This study detected important differences in the prevalence of comorbid psychiatric conditions by race/ethnicity. Findings highlight the need for targeted interventions for black and Hispanic adolescents with depression that concurrently treat anxiety and behavior problems.
