Heterogeneous Trajectories of Depression Symptoms in Latino Youth

Latino youth are at greater risk for depression relative to youth of other ethnic groups. The course of depression among Latino children and adolescents, however, remains largely unexamined, along with family and cultural factors that can help explain dissimilar symptom paths. The present study used growth mixture modeling to map trajectories of depression symptoms and to examine youth and parent familism as predictors of these trajectories. Participants were 133 Latino 5th- to 7th-grade students (Mage = 12.4 years, SD = 0.91; 55.6% boys) and a subsample of their parents (n = 89). Youth reported on their depression symptoms at four time points, including two surveys (Time 1 and Time 3) and two in-person interviews (Time 2 and Time 4) over the course of 2 years. Familism reports were obtained from youth at Time 1 and from parents at Time 2. The trajectories identified include stable-low, recovery, and escalating, and only youth familism predicted membership in these trajectories. Relative to those in the recovery trajectory, youth reporting higher familism were more likely to belong to the stable-low trajectory. This study helps to highlight the heterogeneous course of depression among Latino youth and illustrates the importance of incorporating youth perspectives on family cultural values when considering their well-being.