Investigacin original / Original research

Current depression among women

inCalifornia according to residence in
theCaliforniaMexico border region
Suzanne Ryan-Ibarra,1 Joan Faith Epstein,2 Marta Induni,1
and Michael A. Wright 1
Suggested citation

Ryan-Ibarra S, Epstein JF, Induni M, Wright MA. Current depression among women in California
according to residence in the CaliforniaMexico border region. Rev Panam Salud Publica.
2012;31(5):41726.

abstract

Objective. To estimate the prevalence of current depression; examine the relationship

between current depression and immigration, health status, health care access, and health
behaviors; and assess differences by CaliforniaMexico border region (Imperial and San Diego
Counties) among women in California.
Methods. Using a cross-sectional, representative sample of adult women from the California
Womens Health Survey (n = 13 454), a statewide telephone survey, prevalence of current
depression and predictors of depression were examined in California and according to border
region residence. Depression was assessed with the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire.
Results. The prevalence of current depression for women in California was 12.0%. It was
similar in the border (13.0%) and the nonborder (11.9%) regions. Odds of current depression
in women were lower among recent immigrants (< 5 years or 5 to < 10 years in the United
States) than in women born in the United States and in immigrants who had been living in
the United States for 10 to < 15 years or longer (P < 0.05). Odds ratios for current depression
and health status, health care access, and binge drinking were larger in the border region than
outside the border region.
Conclusions. Similar prevalences of current depression were observed among those who
live in the border region of California and in those who do not, but the relationship between
depression and health status, health care access, and binge drinking varied by border region
residence. Ideally, future surveillance of depression and its predictors along the Mexico
California border will be conducted binationally to inform interventions and tracking such as
the Healthy Border Programs objectives.

Key words

Depression; womens health; health surveillance; womens health services; mental

health; California.

Depression is a mental disorder that

can greatly impair an individuals ability to take care of his or her responsi1 
Survey

Research Group, Public Health Institute,

Sacramento, California, United States of America.
Send correspondence to: Suzanne Ryan-Ibarra,
[email protected]
2 Survey Research Group, California Department of
Public Health, Sacramento, California, United
States of America.

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012

bilities (1). It is the most common mental

disorder, affecting about 121 million
people worldwide (1). At worst, it can
lead to suicide, with about 850 000 lives
lost per year (1). Depression is more
common among women than men and
affects about 10.2% of women in the
United States of America (2). It is the
leading cause of disability, as measured

by years lost due to disability, and is

the fourth leading contributor to the
global burden of disease, as measured
by disability-adjusted life years lost (1).
By 2030, unipolar depressive disorders
are predicted to be the leading cause of
disease burden in high-income countries, including the United States, and
the second leading cause of disease bur-

417

Original research

den in middle-income countries, such as

Mexico (3).
Recent data that describe the prevalence of depression are necessary to
quantify the disease burden in California. More than one-quarter of California
residents are foreign born, the largest
proportion of any state in the United
States of America, and this population
is projected to continue increasing (4).
California also has the most foreign-born
Hispanic residents of any state in the
United States (5). Eighty-four percent
of Hispanics in California have Mexican
heritage (5). Depression affects about
5.8% of women in Mexico (6).
The area of California that borders
Mexico includes Imperial and San Diego
Counties and is considered a border region by the United StatesMexico Border
Health Commission. The border region
between the United States and Mexico is
a dynamic region that is medically underserved and an area where residents
experience high rates of poverty (7). An
objective of the Healthy Border Program
in 2010 was to reduce suicide mortality in the United StatesMexico border
region (8). Prior research has shown that
adults who live on the U.S. side of the
TexasMexico border have similar mental health status as do their counterparts
in the United States as a whole (9). However, that study included severely disadvantaged adults and was not representative of the Texas population. Generally,
immigrants have been found to have
better mental health status than their
counterparts born in the United States
(10), which may be a true difference or
may be due to cultural differences in
how depression presents (11). This study
aims to provide a timely snapshot of the
current burden of depression, examine
predictors of current depression, and
explore possible pathways for interventions to treat depression among both
foreign-born and U.S.-born women in
California and in the CaliforniaMexico
border region. A large, representative
sample of California women was used
to estimate the prevalence of current
depression; examine the relationship
between current depression and immigration, health status, health care access, and health behaviors; and assess
whether the prevalence of current depressionas well as the relationship between immigration, health status, health
care access, and health behaviors with

418

Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

current depressionvaried by border

region residence.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sample
The analytic sample included 13 454
women who participated in the California Womens Health Survey (CWHS)
between 2006 and 2008. Methodological
details have been published elsewhere
(12). Briefly, CWHS is a cross-sectional,
ongoing, annual telephone survey conducted in English and Spanish that
collects information on a variety of
health behaviors and conditions among
women in California who are 18 years
or older. Data are collected from a random sample of California women living
in households with telephones and are
weighted in order to represent the California
female population according to
2000 California Department of Finance
figures (12).
Survey data were combined from 2006,
2007, and 2008 to increase sample size.
The prevalence of depression appeared
constant across years (11.7%, 11.8%, and
12.4%, respectively). After participants
who did not have sufficient data on depression or covariates (n = 1536) from
the analysis were excluded, the analytic
sample consisted of 13454 women. If a
participant was missing data on some
but not all predictors, she was included
in the analysis for the predictors present.

Measures
Current depression was assessed with
the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), a useful measure of depression for population-based studies
that captures depressive symptoms over
the past two weeks (13). The PHQ-8
has been tested and validated for use in
large, population-based studies (13). It
was derived from the nine-item Patient
Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) (13) and
provides reliable estimates of current depressive symptoms among English and
Spanish speakers in the United States
(14). A cut point of 10 or greater was
used to indicate the presence of current
depressive symptoms as a proxy for current depression (13).
The following predictors, described
in Table 1, were examined: border residence, birthplace and years living in the

United States, health status (self-rated

health, disability, physical health distress, mental health distress, and poor
health), health care access (health insurance and routine medical checkups), and
health behaviors (smoking and binge
drinking).
Demographic variables included as
covariates in adjusted analyses were
age in years, marital status (married
or unmarried couple versus divorced,
widowed, separated, or never married),
education as the highest grade or year of
school completed (less than high school,
grade 12 or GED certificate, postsecondary but less than college graduate, and
college graduate or higher), and selfreported race and ethnicity (non-Latina
white, non-Latina African American or
black, Latina of any race, and non-Latina
Asian or other). Those who self-identified as Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, American Indian, or Alaska Native
were included in the non-Latina other
category. Those who self-identified as
Latina or Hispanic were considered Latina in this study. If a participant considered herself biracial or multiracial, she
could report multiple races or ethnicities
and then indicate which group or groups
she identified with most closely.

Statistical analyses
Prevalence of current depression was
estimated for California, in the border
region, and outside the border region
for predictors and demographic variables. Chi-square tests of homogeneity were calculated to examine whether
significant differences existed between
groups. Because prevalence of current
depression varied by age, stratified estimates are presented by age in addition
to nonstratified estimates. Because of
small sample sizes (n < 30), prevalence
estimates are not presented for 18- to
24-year-old women in the border region
even though this group was included in
all analyses.
The relationship between predictors
and current depression was examined
by calculating odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals using unconditional
logistic regression. Results are presented
for unadjusted estimates and estimates
that are adjusted for age, race and ethnicity, marital status, education, and selfrated health. Adjustments are also made
for health insurance when predicting

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012

Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

Original research

TABLE 1. Description of concepts used in analyses, California Womens Health Survey, 20062008
Concept

Question(s) or instrument used

Interpretation

Current depression

Eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire

Demographics
CaliforniaMexico border

No current depressive symptoms, < 10 score

Current depressive symptoms, 10 score

What county do you live in?

Imperial and San Diego Counties = border

Other California counties = nonborder

In what country were you born?

Born in United States

Foreign born

For those who reported being born outside of the United States, asked: In
what year did you come to live in the United States?

< 5 years in the United States

5 to < 10 years in the United States
10 to < 15 years in the United States
15 years in the United States

1.Are you limited in any way in any activities because of a physical,

mental, or emotional problem?
2.Do you now have any health problem that requires you to use special
equipment such as a cane, a wheelchair, a special bed, or a special
telephone?

No to both questions = no
Yes to either or both questions = yes

Health insurance

Do you have any kind of health care coverage (including health insurance,
prepaid plans such as health maintenance organizations, or government
plans such as Medicare or Medi-Cal)?

Yes versus no

Routine checkup

Some people visit a doctor or other health care provider for a routine
checkup, even though they are feeling well and have not been sick. About
how long has it been since you last visited a doctor for a routine medical
checkup?

Within the past 2 years = yes

Not within the past 2 years = no

Self-rated health

Would you say that in general your health is excellent, very good, good,
fair, or poor?

Excellent, very good, good versus

fair or poor

Physical health distress

Now thinking about your physical health, which includes physical illness
and injury, for how many days during the past 30 days was your physical
health not good?

Not frequent = 013 days

Frequent = 14 days

Mental health distress

Now thinking about your mental health, which includes stress, depression,
and problems with emotions, for how many days during the past 30 days
was your mental health not good?

Not frequent = 013 days

Frequent = 14 days

Poor health

Response of frequent ( 14 days) to either of the physical or mental health

distress questions above.

Not frequent = 013 days

Frequent = 14 days

1. Have you ever smoked 100 cigarettes in your entire life?

2. Do you now smoke cigarettes every day, some days, or not at all?

Never smoked = no to both

Former smoker = yes to first, no to second
Current smoker = yes to second, no to first or yes to both

Considering all types of alcoholic beverages, how many times during the
past month did you have four or more drinks on an occasion?

Yes 1
No = 0

Birthplace and years in

United States

Health status
Disability

Health behavior
Smoking

Binge drinkinga
a Cut

points for binge drinking differed in 2006 ( 5 drinks) compared with 2007 and 2008 ( 4 drinks). To make the variables comparable across years, in 2006 a value of yes was assigned to
binge drinking if a participant answered yes to consuming five or more drinks on one occasion or if she reported consuming on average four or more drinks per day on the days she consumed
alcohol in the past 30 days.

routine checkups. Because prevalence

of current depression was low in the
sample, it is likely that odds ratios approximate prevalence ratios (15, 16). In
addition, to examine whether predictors
for current depression differed among
the border region compared with the
nonborder region in California, odds ratios were calculated as described above
and compared for those living in the border region with those living outside the
border region. Because of small sample
sizes (n < 30), stratified analyses were
not conducted among those living in
the border region by years in the United
States.

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012

For all analyses, region-specific

weights were created so that participants
in each region of California (border
counties Imperial and San Diego versus
all other California counties) represented
the race and ethnicity distribution of
those regions as in the 2000 California
female population. The Committee for
the Protection of Human Subjects of the
California Health and Human Services
Agency approved the CWHS on which
this analysis was based. Committee-approved informed consent elements were
included in the telephone scripts. All
statistical analyses were calculated using SAS version 9.2 survey procedures,

which allow incorporation of weights to

adjust for survey design (SAS Institute
Inc., Cary, North Carolina). P values less
than 0.05 were considered statistically
significant.

RESULTS
General characteristics
Table 2 provides the population distribution by demographics, health status,
health care access, and health behaviors
among women in California and by border region residence. Residents of the
border region were similar to those living

419

Original research

Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

TABLE 2. Characteristics of women in California by CaliforniaMexico border region residence, California Womens Health Survey, 20062008a
California
(n = 13 454)
Characteristic
Demographics
Age (years)
1824
2534
3544
4554
5564
65
Race/ethnicity
Non-Latina white
Non-Latina African American/black
Latina
Non-Latina Asian or other
Education
Less than high school
Grade 12 or GED certificate
Postsecondary, less than bachelors
Postsecondary, bachelors or higher
Birthplace and years in United States
Born in United States
Foreign born, 15 years
10 to < 15 years
5 to < 10 years
< 5 years
Married or unmarried couple
Health status
Disabilityb
Health insurance
Routine checkup (in past 2 years)
Fair or poor self-rated healthc
Frequent physical health distress ( 14 days/month)
Frequent mental health distress ( 14 days/month)
Frequent poor health ( 14 days/month)
Health behavior
Smoking status
Never smoked
Former smoker
Current smoker
Binge drinking ( 4 drinks/time in past 30 days)d

CaliforniaMexico border region

(n = 1 215)

Nonborder region
(n = 12 239)

No.

No.

95% CI

No.

95% CI

658
2 117
2 691
2 824
2 365
2 799

61
200
247
247
189
271

13.35
20.47
21.99
17.88
9.57
16.68

9.7416.96
17.6323.32
19.1924.79
15.4320.32
8.0211.13
14.4518.90

597
1 917
2 444
2 577
2 176
2 528

12.80
20.07
21.71
17.69
11.21
16.51

11.7313.88
19.1620.99
20.8522.57
16.9518.43
10.6611.75
15.8217.19

8 122
664
3 714
954

747
51
351
66

59.18
5.70
24.21
10.91

55.6262.73
3.897.53
21.4326.99
8.0213.80

7 375
613
3 363
888

53.08
6.47
25.78
14.68

51.9654.18
5.867.08
24.8626.69
13.6715.69

2 078
2 938
3 453
4 985

170
262
323
460

13.00
21.54
29.36
36.10

10.7815.23
18.4524.62
25.9032.81
32.8439.37

1 908
2 676
3 130
4 525

15.27
23.37
25.93
35.43

14.5216.02
22.3924.34
24.9526.90
34.4036.46

9 836
2 268
457
577
316
9 008

879
199
40
67
30
826

72.51
15.19
3.25
5.52
3.53
63.98

69.3675.65
12.8117.57
1.984.53
4.037.01
1.855.21
60.3667.60

8 957
2 069
417
510
286
8 182

70.68
17.04
4.03
4.87
3.37
62.31

69.6771.70
16.2217.86
3.554.51
4.405.34
2.913.84
61.1963.43

3 047
11 555
10 487
2 407
1 709
1 614
1 087

266
1 041
934
191
141
134
86

20.20
84.41
74.51
14.07
10.29
12.75
6.82

17.4322.96
81.6687.15
71.2977.72
11.7116.44
8.4012.18
10.1915.32
4.948.71

2 781
10 514
9 553
2 216
1 568
1 480
1 001

20.09
84.32
76.16
17.00
11.57
12.78
7.62

19.2720.90
83.4885.16
75.1877.13
16.2217.79
10.9212.21
12.0413.53
7.088.16

8 794
3 238
1 415
1 083

791
301
122
103

67.05
21.82
11.12
10.62

63.8070.31
19.1324.52
8.7813.46
8.2413.00

8 003
2 937
1 293
980

68.09
20.45
11.46
9.49

67.0969.08
19.6421.27
10.7412.18
8.7810.20

Note: CI: confidence interval.

a Data were weighted in order to represent the California female population according to 2000 California Department of Finance figures.
b Disability was defined as being limited in any way in any activities because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem or having a health problem that requires use of special equipment,
such as a cane, a wheelchair, a special bed, or a special telephone.
c P < 0.05 for chi-square test of homogeneity (border versus nonborder), otherwise P 0.05.
d Cut points for binge drinking differed in 2006 ( 5 drinks) compared with 2007 and 2008 ( 4 drinks). To make the variables comparable across years, in 2006 a value of yes was a
ssigned to
binge drinking if a participant answered yes to consuming five or more drinks on one occasion, or if she reported consuming on average four or more drinks per day on the days she consumed
alcohol in the past 30 days.

outside the border region according to

demographics, health status, health care
access, and health behaviors, but they
were significantly less likely to report fair
or poor self-rated health (P = 0.003) than
those living outside the border region.
Prevalence of current depression
among women in California was 12.0%
(Table 3). Prevalence of current depression was similar among women living in
the border region (13.0%) and in women
living outside the border region (11.9%)
but varied by age, race, and ethnicity. In
the border region and outside the border

420

region, participants 65 years or older had

lower prevalence of current depression
than their younger counterparts. Outside
the border region, Latina participants had
higher prevalence of current depression
than their non-Latina white or non-Latina
Asian or other counterparts, but prevalence of depression was similar among
these groups in the border region.

Predictors of current depression

Odds ratios presented in the text are
adjusted for age, race and ethnicity,

marital status, education, and self-rated

health and are statistically significant
(P < 0.05) unless noted otherwise. Years
in the United States, health care access,
and health behaviors were associated
with depression (Table 4).
The likelihood of current depression
increased as years in the United States
increased. Immigrants who had spent
< 5 years in the United States were 47%
less likely and immigrants who had lived
5 to < 10 years in the United States were
42% less likely to have current depression than their U.S.-born counterparts

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012

Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

Original research

TABLE 3. Prevalence of current depression compared by CaliforniaMexico border region residence according to demographics, health status, and
health behaviors among women in California, California Womens Health Survey, 20062008a
California
Characteristic
Current depression
Demographics
Age (years)
1824
2534
3544
4554
5564
65
Race/ethnicity
Non-Latina white
Non-Latina African American/black
Latina
Non-Latina Asian or other
Birthplace and years in United States
Born in United States
Foreign born, 15 years
10 to < 15 years
5 to < 10 years
< 5 years
Marital status
Divorced, widowed, separated
Married or unmarried couple
Health status
Disabilityc
No
Yes
Health insurance
No
Yes
Routine checkup (in past 2 years)
No
Yes
Self-rated health
Fair or poor
Excellent, very good, or good
Physical health distress
Not frequent (< 14 days per month)
Frequent ( 14 days per month)
Mental health distress
Not frequent (< 14 days per month)
Frequent ( 14 days per month)
Poor health
Not frequent (< 14 days per month)
Frequent ( 14 days per month)
Health behaviors
Smoking status
Never smoked
Former smoker
Current smoker
Binge drinkingd
No
Yes ( 4 drinks/time in past 30 days)c

CaliforniaMexico border region

Non-border region

No.

95% CI

No.

95% CI

No.

95% CI

1 556

12.04

11.3512.73

141

13.01

10.4915.53

1 415

11.92

11.2112.62

91
265
335
355
313
197

13.37
12.05
13.55
12.77
13.72
7.18

10.4416.30
10.5113.60
12.0515.05
11.3514.20
12.0815.35
6.108.25

7
23
36
31
22
22

. . .b
12.24
16.89
12.57
14.65
7.55

. . .b
6.7417.74
11.4522.33
7.8417.30
7.7821.52
4.3310.76

84
242
299
324
291
175

13.26
12.03
13.11
12.80
13.61
7.13

10.2916.24
10.4413.62
11.5714.64
11.3214.29
11.9715.26
5.998.27

848
101
523
84

11.50
15.19
13.99
9.25

10.6212.38
11.9418.44
12.6715.32
7.1211.38

86
5
43
7

13.44
. . .b
12.90
. . .b

10.1916.69
. . .b
8.5417.27
. . .b

762
96
480
77

11.22
15.90
14.13
8.87

10.3312.10
12.4619.34
12.7415.51
6.7610.99

1 103
305
47
67
34

12.17
13.04
10.33
10.26
9.37

11.3413.00
11.3814.71
6.8913.77
7.6612.86
5.7912.95

103
28
1
7
2

13.79
15.64
. . .b
. . .b
. . .b

10.6816.89
9.1222.15
. . .b
. . .b
. . .b

1 000
277
46
60
32

11.95
12.74
11.24
10.54
10.16

11.1112.79
11.0514.44
7.4715.00
7.7313.34
6.1814.13

720
836

15.88
9.76

14.5317.22
9.0110.51

64
77

18.72
9.81

13.3924.04
7.3212.31

656
759

15.52
9.75

14.1616.88
8.9710.53

719
837

7.59
29.81

6.948.24
27.7731.84

56
85

7.30
35.61

5.039.58
28.1343.10

663
752

7.63
29.04

6.968.30
26.9731.11

341
1 214

19.17
10.73

16.9021.44
10.0311.42

30
111

24.36
10.94

15.1933.52
8.5613.31

311
1 103

18.50
10.70

16.2520.75
9.9811.42

443
1 109

16.05
10.78

14.3417.75
10.0511.51

48
93

20.12
10.59

13.8726.37
8.0213.16

395
1 016

15.47
10.80

13.7517.20
10.0511.55

714
842

30.33
8.40

28.0932.58
7.749.06

54
87

33.25
9.71

24.1342.37
7.3412.07

660
755

30.02
8.22

27.7432.30
7.548.90

931
624

8.91
36.73

8.239.58
34.0539.40

82
59

9.58
43.23

7.0712.08
33.7952.68

849
565

8.82
35.97

8.139.51
33.2038.73

709
842

6.08
52.91

5.556.60
49.8855.94

61
76

5.43
63.25

3.747.11
52.9273.58

648
766

6.16
51.56

5.616.71
48.4454.68

965
584

8.45
56.57

7.839.07
53.0660.09

82
55

8.51
72.40

6.4210.59
61.7983.02

883
529

8.44
54.72

7.809.09
51.1058.34

822
369
365

9.30
12.47
27.79

8.5510.05
11.0313.91
24.8930.69

68
39
34

9.74
13.28
32.32

6.8612.63
8.6117.95
21.8742.78

754
330
331

9.24
12.35
27.21

8.4810.00
10.8513.86
24.2230.20

1 375
166

11.43
17.84

10.7412.12
14.7820.89

115
23

11.56
24.75

9.0214.10
14.5234.98

1 260
143

11.42
16.82

10.7112.12
13.6619.99

Note: CI: confidence interval.

a Current depression was defined as a score of 10 or higher on the eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale. Data were weighted in order to represent the California population
according to 2000 California Department of Finance figures.
b Included in the analyses but not presented because of unstable estimates due to small sample size.
c Disability was defined as being limited in any way in any activities because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem or having a health problem that requires use of special equipment,
such as a cane, a wheelchair, a special bed, or a special telephone.
d Cut points for binge drinking differed in 2006 ( 5 drinks) compared with 2007 and 2008 ( 4 drinks). To make the variables comparable across years, in 2006 a value of yes was assigned to
binge drinking if a participant answered yes to consuming five or more drinks on one occasion or if she reported consuming on average four or more drinks per day on the days she consumed
alcohol in the past 30 days.

(P = 0.01 and < 0.01). Immigrants who had

lived 10 to < 15 years in the United States
were 36% less likely and immigrants who
had lived 15 years or longer in the United

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012

States were 6% less likely than those who

had spent < 5 years in the United States
to have current depression, respectively,
but these differences were not statisti-

cally significant (P = 0.06 and 0.60). Odds

ratios among immigrants who reported
< 5 years or 5 to < 10 years in the United
States differed significantly from odds

421

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Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

TABLE 4. Adjusted odds ratios of current depression by predictors for California and compared with CaliforniaMexico border region, California
Womens Health Survey, 20062008a
CaliforniaMexico border
region (n = 1 215)

California (n = 13 454)
Predictor
Demographic
Birthplace, years in United States
Born in United States
Foreign born, 15 years
10 to < 15 years
5 to < 10 years
< 5 years
Health status
Disabilityc,d
No
Yes
Health insurance
Yes
No
Routine checkup (in past 2 years)e
Yes
No
Self-rated healthc
Excellent, very good, good
Fair or poor
Physical health distress
Not frequent (< 14 days/month)
Frequent ( 14 days/month)
Mental health distress
Not frequent (< 14 days/month)
Frequent ( 14 days/month)
Poor health
Not frequent (< 14 days/month)
Frequent ( 14 days/month)
Health behaviors
Smoking
Never smoker
Current smoker
Former smoker
Binge drinking ( 4 drinks/time in past 30 days)f
No
Yes

Nonborder region (n = 12 239)

AOR

95% CI

AOR

95% CI

AOR

95% CI

Ref
0.94
0.64
0.58
0.53

NA
0.751.19
0.411.01
0.400.84
0.320.85

NA
0.60
0.06
0.01
0.01

Ref
0.88
. . .b
. . .b
. . .b

NA
0.401.91
. . .b
. . .b
. . .b

NA
0.74

Ref
0.94
0.71
0.60
0.58

NA
0.731.19
0.451.14
0.410.88
0.350.96

NA
0.59
0.15
0.01
0.03

Ref
6.67

NA
5.707.79

< 0.01

Ref
10.62

NA
6.4017.64

NA
< 0.01

Ref
6.31

NA
5.367.42

NA
< 0.01

Ref
1.46

NA
1.191.80

NA
< 0.01

Ref
2.27

NA
1.154.50

NA
0.02

Ref
1.38

NA
1.121.70

NA
< 0.01

Ref
1.46

NA
1.241.71

NA
< 0.01

Ref
1.72

NA
1.012.91

NA
0.05

Ref
1.42

NA
1.201.68

NA
< 0.01

Ref
5.21

NA
4.456.11

NA
< 0.01

Ref
5.05

NA
2.938.71

NA
< 0.01

Ref
5.28

NA
4.486.22

NA
< 0.01

Ref
6.43

NA
5.527.49

NA
< 0.01

Ref
9.68

NA
5.7616.28

NA
< 0.01

Ref
6.22

NA
5.307.29

NA
< 0.01

Ref
16.01

NA
13.6918.72

NA
< 0.01

Ref
28.93

NA
16.3051.34

NA
< 0.01

Ref
14.95

NA
12.7117.58

NA
< 0.01

Ref
15.06

NA
12.7117.85

NA
< 0.01

Ref
28.82

NA
16.1651.42

NA
< 0.01

Ref
14.09

NA
11.8116.81

NA
< 0.01

Ref
3.02
1.55

NA
2.483.68
1.301.86

NA
< 0.01
< 0.01

Ref
2.80
1.55

NA
1.455.42
0.892.70

NA
< 0.01
0./12

Ref
3.09
1.56

NA
2.533.79
1.291.89

NA
< 0.01
< 0.01

Ref
1.61

NA
1.262.04

NA
< 0.01

Ref
2.75

NA
1.415.34

NA
< 0.01

Ref
1.49

NA
1.151.92

NA
< 0.01

Note: AOR: adjusted odds ratio, CI: confidence interval, Ref: reference group, NA: not applicable.
a Models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, and self-rated health unless noted otherwise. Current depression defined as score of 10 or above on the eight-item Patient
Health Questionnaire depression scale. Data were weighted to represent the California population according to 2000 California Department of Finance figures.
b Could not be included because of small sample size.
c Model adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, marital status, and education.
d Disability was defined as being limited in any way in any activities because of a physical, mental, or emotional problem or having a health problem that requires use of special equipment,
such as a cane, a wheelchair, a special bed, or a special telephone.
e Model adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, self-rated health, and health insurance.
f Cut points for binge drinking differed in 2006 ( 5 drinks) compared with 2007 and 2008 ( 4 drinks). To make the variables comparable across years, in 2006 a value of yes was assigned to
binge drinking if a participant answered yes to consuming five or more drinks on one occasion, or if she reported consuming on average four or more drinks per day on the days she consumed
alcohol in the past 30 days.

ratios for immigrants who had lived 15

years or longer in the United States and
for those born in the United States.
Health status and health care access
were positively associated with current
depression. Women who reported fair
or poor self-rated health were 5.2 times
more likely to report current depression
than women who reported good, very
good, or excellent health. Women who
did not have health insurance were 46%
more likely to report current depression.
Women who had not received a routine
checkup in the past 2 years were 46%

422

more likely to report current depression, even after controlling for health
insurance in addition to age, race and
ethnicity, marital status, education, and
self-rated health.
Health behaviors were positively associated with current depression. Current smokers were 3 times more likely
to have current depression than those
who had never smoked, and former
smokers were 1.6 times more likely to
have current depression than those who
had never smoked. Women who reported binge drinking were 1.6 times

more likely to report experiencing current depression than women who did
not report binge drinking.

Comparisons by CaliforniaMexico
border region
The odds ratio estimates of relationships between current depression with
disability, health care access, physical
health distress, mental health distress,
poor health, and binge drinking were
larger and stronger among those in the
border region than in those outside the

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012

Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

border region. Among women living in

the border region, those without health
insurance were 2.3 times more likely to
have current depression than those with
insurance, while among women outside
the border region, those who did not
have health insurance were 1.4 times
more likely to have current depression
than those with insurance. Additionally,
among those living in the border region, women who reported binge drinking were 2.8 times more likely to have
current depression than those who did
not report binge drinking, while among
those outside the border region, women
who reported binge drinking were 1.5
times more likely to have current depression than those who did not report binge
drinking. The relationships between
current depression with self-rated health
and smoking were of similar magnitude among those in the border region
compared with those outside the border
region.

DISCUSSION
This study estimated the prevalence of
current depression, examined predictors
of current depression among women
in California, and assessed differences
in the relationship between predictors
and current depression among women
living in the border region (Imperial
and San Diego Counties) compared with
women living outside the border region.
Twelve percent of women in California
reported current depression in the past 2
weeks according to the PHQ-8 standardized questionnaire for screening depression (13). Current depression was associated with years living in the United
States, health status, health care access,
smoking, and binge drinking, even after
controlling for race and ethnicity, age,
marital status, education, and self-rated
health. Importantly, the observed relationship between immigrant status and
current depression fits a doseresponse
model, so that the odds of current depression among immigrants who had
lived longer in the United States approached the odds of their counterparts
born in the United States. More recent
immigrants were less likely to report
current depression than their counterparts born in the United States; as immigrants stayed longer in the United States,
the odds of reporting current depression
increased. This relationship did not differ among women in the border region

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012

compared with those outside the border

region.
This study observed that not having
access to health insurance or routine
medical care, having poor perceived
health, and health-related behaviors
specifically, smoking and binge drinkingwere associated with an increased
likelihood of current depression. Similar
associations were observed in previous
research examining the relationship between current depression with smoking
and binge drinking according to the
PHQ-8 among adults in California (17)
and Florida (18) as well as in previous
research examining the relationship between sad, blue, or depressed days and
health-related quality of life (19). Associations between serious psychological
distress and diabetes (20) and between
current depression and disability status
(21) have also been described. This study
adds to the literature by examining predictors of current depression related to
health status, health care access, and
health risk behaviors according to border region residence in California. The
relationships observed were stronger
between current depression and disability, physical and mental distress, poor
health, health care access, and binge
drinking among women living in the
border region compared with women
in California living outside the border
region.
Depression is a common mental disorder and 9.1% of adults living in the
United States have current depression
(2). Prevalence of current depression
among women in the United States is
higher than among men (10.2% versus
8.0%) (2). In California, 9.2% of adults
have current depression (22). This study
estimated that 12.0% of women in California have current depression and observed similar prevalence of depression
in women who lived in the border region
and in those who lived outside the region (13.0% and 11.9%, respectively). An
analysis of Mexican American adults living in colonias on the TexasMexico border found similar mental health status
among them compared with the general
U.S. population (23).
The relationship between mental
health and immigration is complex and
not well understood (10, 24). Currently,
most foreign-born residents in California
were born in Mexico, where the prevalence of depression is lower than in the
United States: 5.8% among women in

Original research

Mexico (6) compared with 10.2% among

women in the United States (2). Both
genetic and environmental factors affect
depression. Since migration may involve
many environmental stressors, including
traumatic events, discrimination, and
documentation requirements, depression could be a plausible consequence
of migration. However, immigrants in
the United States do not necessarily
experience higher rates of depression
than the general population (25). Studies conducted in the United States of
older Latino adults and college students
of Mexican heritage have found that as
immigrants become more acculturated
to Anglo culture, the odds of depression
increase (22, 26). It is possible that recent
immigrants to the United States from
Latin American countries have lower
rates of depression because of selection
bias, so that individuals who migrate
are more resilient to depression than
those who do not (10). Conversely, recent immigrants may have increased
anxiety, which is often linked to depression. Previous research has found that
those who undergo challenging times in
isolation, as may happen to immigrants
when they arrive in the United States,
have increased anxiety but not increased
depression (27), so although depression
is lower, other mental health issues may
be present.
Among Moroccan immigrants in
Spain and among Latino youth of immigrant families in the United States,
factors supportive of migration, such as
family and social support, are associated
with decreased depressive symptoms
(28, 29). Lack of social support predicts
depressive symptoms among university
students in Mexico (30). Extended family networks may provide social support
that assists migrants as they transition to
life in the host country (10, 28, 29). An
additional support among immigrants
from Mexico may be the collectivist attitude common in Mexican culture, as
contrasted with an individualistic attitude in the United States, which may
help immigrants who migrate from Mexico to the United States avoid developing
depression after migration (26).
Another possible explanation is that
social desirability bias is affecting this
studys estimates of current depression. A diagnosis of depression often
has stigma, despite efforts to reduce it.
Recent immigrants to the United States
might be more likely to give socially

423

Original research

desirable responses to the depression

screening questions regardless of their
true feelings compared with immigrants
who have spent more time in the United
States. Some research suggests that this
may not be a factor (10), but it may be
prudent to examine stigma related to
depression among immigrants in the
United States.

Limitations
This study has limitations. First, the
data are cross-sectional, so a temporal
relationship cannot be inferred. The intent was to describe the relationship
between current depression and immigration, health status, health care access,
and health behaviors among women
in California and not to determine the
etiology of depression. Second, the data
are self-reported and use a subjective
measure of depression. It is possible that
misclassification exists, because women
who screened positively for current depression were not evaluated for clinical depression, which could be causing
underestimates or overestimates of current depression. Third, bias may exist
in this study due to excluded participants and populations. Demographics
of included participants were compared
with participants who were excluded
because of missing depression scale data
or covariates. Those who were excluded
were disproportionately Latina and
foreign-born women who had been in
the United States for 15 years or longer.
It is expected that these women had
higher prevalence of current depression
than the average for the sample and,
consequently, that estimates from this
study are underestimates of the true
prevalence of depression. Also, women
without landline telephone service, such
as cell-phone-only users, were not included in the survey used for this study.
Anxiety was not measured among
study participants because the data did
not contain any anxiety measures. Depression and anxiety diagnoses are often
related. The process of immigration is
stressful, and prior studies have observed
that recent immigrants have high levels
of anxiety but low levels of depression
(28). Of special note, recent immigrants
in this study appeared to have lower levels of depression than immigrants who
have lived longer in the United States,
but these lower levels of depression do
not mean that mental illness concerns are

424

Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

absent in this population. Last, prevalence ratios were estimated by calculating odds ratios using unconditional logistic regression. Because the underlying
prevalence of current depression was
low (12.0%) in the sample, the calculated
odds ratios should be close estimates of
prevalence ratios (15, 16).

Conclusion
In this study, a similar prevalence of
current depression was observed among
those who live in the border region of
California compared with those who
do not. In addition, higher odds of current depression were observed among
immigrants with longer residence in
the United States compared with immigrants with shorter residence, as well
as among those with poor health status
compared with those who are healthy.
The border between California and
Mexico is fluid, and people cross in
both directions daily for business, family, and pleasure. This study described
the prevalence of current depression on
the border and examined possible pathways for intervention by examining the
relationship between years in the United
States, health care access, health status,
smoking, and binge drinking. This study
has implications for future research conducted in the United States and Mexico.
Ideally, studies will examine depression
and its predictors among residents in
the border region using a binational approach. Surveillance of depression and
its predictors along the MexicoCalifornia border will be important to inform
border health interventions and tracking, such as the Healthy Border Programs objectives. Furthermore, qualitative research should be conducted to
inform prevalence estimates obtained
by surveillance. Such research could improve understanding of why residents
on the U.S. side of the border have
higher rates of depression than residents
on the Mexico side of the border. Future
studies should reach all residents of the
border region, including cell-phone-only
users and those without cell or landline
phone service, which this study did not
include. A community-based approach
may be useful in reaching these residents, specifically by engaging trusted
community members in the research
process to establish rapport. This study
was not able to assess the prevalence
of depression among men in California,

and future research should examine this

issue. To better understand the etiology
of depression among immigrants specifically, future research should examine
the risk of depression according to years
in the United States longitudinally.
Mental health, including depression,
and physical health are related, as observed in this and other studies, and
interventions should approach health
holistically, addressing both mental and
physical health conditions (2, 20, 21).
Stress may also trigger depression (28, 30,
31) and interventions should aim to teach
coping strategies to reduce stress as well
as stressors (i.e., lack of health insurance)
that could trigger depression.
Although the border is fluid, resources
for mental health interventions are often
tied to country-specific funding agencies.
Mental health resources should focus on
addressing current depression among
women and specifically among women
who are most at risk, such as those
with disabilities, poor health status, immigrants who have been in the United
States for 15 years or longer, and those
who smoke or binge drink. Resources
invested may prevent suicide mortality,
a main objective of the Healthy Border
2010 Initiative. At the time this manuscript was prepared, the Healthy Border
Programs 2020 objectives had not been
released (32). It is recommended that
preventing suicide mortality be incorporated into the Healthy Border Programs
2020 objectives and that services to prevent depression, a major risk factor for
suicide, be included as a program that
supports the objectives.
Acknowledgments. Data for these
analyses were provided by the CWHS
group. The CWHS is coordinated by the
California Department of Public Health
in collaboration with the California Department of Mental Health, the California Department of Alcohol and Drug
Programs, California Medical Review
Inc., the California Department of Social
Services, the California Office of Womens Health, and the Survey Research
Group of the Public Health Institute.
Questionnaire development and funding for the survey were provided by
collaborating programs. Analyses, findings, and conclusions described here are
not necessarily endorsed by the CWHS
group. The authors thank three anonymous peer reviewers for their helpful
and thoughtful comments.

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012

Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

Original research

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Ryan-Ibarra et al. Depression among women on CaliforniaMexico border

resumen

Depresin actual en las

mujeres en California segn
el lugar de residencia en
la regin fronteriza entre
California y Mxico

Palabras clave

426

Objetivo. Calcular la prevalencia de la depresin actual; examinar la relacin entre

la depresin actual y la inmigracin, el estado de salud, el acceso a la atencin de la
salud y las conductas relacionadas con la salud; y evaluar las diferencias en la regin
fronteriza entre California (condados Imperial y San Diego) y Mxico en las m
ujeres.
Mtodos. Se emple una muestra transversal y representativa de mujeres adultas de
la Encuesta de Salud de la Mujer de California (n = 13 454), una encuesta telefnica
estatal, para examinar la prevalencia de depresin actual y los factores predictivos de
depresin tanto en California como segn el lugar de residencia en la regin fronteriza. La depresin se evalu mediante el Cuestionario de Salud del Paciente-8.
Resultados. La prevalencia de depresin actual en las mujeres en California fue
12,0%, y fue semejante en las regiones fronteriza (13,0%) y no fronteriza (11,9%) del
estado. Las probabilidades de presentar depresin actual fueron menores en las mujeres que haban inmigrado recientemente (< 5 aos o de 5 a < 10 aos en los Estados
Unidos) que en aquellas nacidas en los Estados Unidos y en las mujeres inmigrantes
que haban vivido en los Estados Unidos de 10 a < 15 aos o ms (P < 0,05). Las
razones de posibilidades para la depresin actual y el estado de salud, el acceso a
la atencin de la salud y el consumo excesivo de alcohol fueron ms elevadas en la
regin fronteriza que en otras regiones del estado.
Conclusiones. Se observaron prevalencias similares de depresin actual entre las
mujeres que viven en la regin fronteriza de California y aquellas que viven en otras
regiones del estado, pero la relacin entre la depresin y el estado de salud, el acceso
a la atencin de la salud y el consumo excesivo de alcohol vari segn el lugar de residencia de la regin fronteriza. Idealmente, la vigilancia futura de la depresin y sus
factores predictivos a lo largo de la frontera entre Mxico y California ser llevada a
cabo de manera bilateral entre los dos pases a fin de comunicar las intervenciones y
el seguimiento dentro de los objetivos del Programa Frontera Saludable.
Depresin; salud de la mujer; vigilancia sanitaria; servicios de salud para mujeres;
salud mental; California.

Rev Panam Salud Publica 31(5), 2012