The Impact of Age, Ethnicity, and Gender on Depressive Symptom Severity, Psychosocial Functioning, and Quality of Life among Ethnically Diverse Undergraduate College Students

The prevalence of depressive symptomatology among college students has become an issue of concern on many college campuses. However, there is a dearth of research examining depressive symptoms in different ethnic groups. The purpose of this study was to examine depressive symptom severity, psychosocial functioning impairment, and quality of life due to depression among Latino, African American, Caucasian, and Caribbean/West Indian college students; and whether these factors vary by age, ethnicity, and gender. A large convenient sample of 1129 college students were recruited from three different sites and asked to complete a battery of questionnaires. Findings indicated mild levels of depressive symptoms, psychosocial functioning impairment, and quality of life. Age, gender and ethnicity were related to all the depressive symptom severity, psychosocial functioning impairment, and quality of life. Implications for mental health treatment and education are discussed.