Asian American Students the Most Likely to Have Depression, Study Finds

August 26, 2020

A new study has found that Asian American college students experience a higher rate of depression than students of other racial backgrounds.

Signs of depression: Published by the Journal of American College Health, the research found that college students of Asian heritage reported depression symptoms at a higher rate than those of European American and Hispanic origin.

Asian American students were also found to be more likely to be diagnosed with depression than European Americans and African Americans.
In the study, the PhD researchers looked into data of 3,189 students who received services at a university counseling center.
Researchers examined the depressive and suicidal tendencies among university counseling center clients and the link to their race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and financial stress.
Around 40% of the undergraduates and postgraduates who participated in the study reside on campus.

Other findings: Overall, the study found that counseling clients who identified with one or more minority groups had a higher risk of depression and suicide.

When the researchers compared scores based on the gender of the participants, they found that women and members of the LGBTQ community had higher “depression diagnosis, and history of suicidal ideation and attempts,” compared to men and heterosexual people.
Compared to the rest of the participants, students under high financial stress were found to have “higher depression scores” and more likely to have “past and current suicidality.”

Those experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts are encouraged to seek support through the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.

Feature Image via chupanhsam

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