Latina Adolescent Depression Treatment Study

Despite experiencing higher rates of depressive symptoms and similar rates of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Latina (female) adolescents in the U.S. are significantly less likely than their non-Latina White peers to receive treatment for MDD. The purpose of this study is to identify facilitators of and barriers to depression treatment engagement among Latina adolescents across patient-, family-, and healthcare provider-levels from the perspectives of these individuals. Latina adolescent-parent dyads and healthcare providers will be recruited from community and healthcare settings. Separate individual semi-structured interviews will be conducted with Latina adolescents (n=12) and their parents (n=12). Two focus groups will be conducted with primary care providers (n=6) and mental health providers (n=6) who frequently care for Latina youth. Qualitative content analysis will be used to analyze the transcripts to determine common themes in facilitators and barriers across stakeholder groups.