Abstract
Racial/ethnic disparities in depression exist among youth in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine if parental support trajectories in adolescence explain the relationship between race/ethnicity and depressive symptom trajectories in adulthood. A two-step longitudinal parallel process analysis with multigroup structural equation modeling was conducted with a nationally representative sample of youth (N = 5300; 48.5% female; M = 13.33 (Range:12–15) years at baseline). While parental support trajectories did not mediate the relationship between race/ethnicity and depressive symptoms, parental support trajectories were related to depressive symptom trajectories in adulthood. Immigrant generation status also moderated the relationship between race/ethnicity and depressive symptom trajectories. The results demonstrate the impact of parental support on later mental health outcomes regardless of race/ethnicity.
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Authors’ Contributions
A.M.S. conceived of the study, participated in the data analysis plan, interpreted the results, and drafted the manuscript; H.T. participated in the design of the research questions, carried out data analysis, and substantially contributed to drafting the manuscript; and W.P. assisted in formulating the research questions, carried out data analysis, and provided substantial input to drafting the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the National Longitudinal Survey Investigator repository, https://www.nlsinfo.org/investigator/pages/login.
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The following study was determined exempt by the Duke University Health System Institutional Review Board (Pro#00104867).
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Stafford, A.M., Tsumura, H. & Pan, W. Race/Ethnicity, Parental Support, and Youth Depressive Symptoms: A Moderated Longitudinal Mediation Analysis. J Youth Adolescence 50, 1319–1332 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01447-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01447-7