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Associations of Discrimination, Low Social Support, and Limited English Proficiency with Depression in South Asian Immigrants

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Abstract

South Asians face stressors as a growing immigrant group in America. Work is needed to understand how these stressors impact mental health to identify those at risk of depression and design interventions. This study examined associations of three stressors (discrimination, low social support, limited English proficiency) with depressive symptoms in South Asians. Using cross-sectional data from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America study (N = 887), we fit logistic regression models to evaluate independent/joint effects of three stressors on depression. Overall prevalence of depression was 14.8%; 69.2% of those with all three stressors had depression. The combined effect of high discrimination/low social support was significantly greater than the sum of the individual factors. Experiences of discrimination, low social support, or limited English proficiency, as well as a combination of these factors, should be considered when diagnosing/treating South Asian immigrants in a culturally appropriate manner.

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Acknowledgements

The project described was supported by Grant Number R01HL093009 from the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute and the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through UCSF-CTSI Grant Number UL1RR024131. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute or the National Institutes of Health. The authors thank the other investigators, the staff, and the participants of the MASALA study for their valuable contributions. The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Funding

The project described was supported by Grant Number R01HL093009 from the National Heart, Lung, And Blood Institute and the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through UCSF-CTSI Grant Number UL1RR024131.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA

    Shireen Roy & Mayur M. Desai

  2. School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Saria Hassan

  3. Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Alka M. Kanaya

  4. Departments of Medicine and Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Namratha R. Kandula

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  1. Shireen Roy
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Correspondence to Shireen Roy.

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Roy, S., Hassan, S., Kanaya, A.M. et al. Associations of Discrimination, Low Social Support, and Limited English Proficiency with Depression in South Asian Immigrants. J Immigrant Minority Health 25, 990–998 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-023-01467-4

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