Depression and the Neighborhood Experience of Black and Latine Adults

Abstract

Black and Latine adults living in high-burden urban neighborhoods are at risk for experiencing poor mental health and physical health outcomes. The current study examined the associations between neighborhood concentrated disadvantage and perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion to depressive symptoms, via perceived fear of neighborhood crime. Participants included 585 adults (87% female; 54% Black and 46% Latine) who were parents or caregivers of children and adolescents, representing 30 high-burden urban neighborhoods within one large city in the United States. Nearly one in three adults indicated clinical levels of depressive symptomatology. There was a significant indirect association between neighborhood social cohesion and depressive symptoms for Black adults via heightened levels of fear of crime. Perceptions of neighborhood social cohesion were directly associated with depressive symptoms for Latine adults. These results emphasize the role of distinct neighborhood experiences in understanding mental health among Black and Latine adults living in high-burden urban neighborhoods.