Evaluating hypothesized explanations for the Black-white depression paradox: A critical review of the extant evidence

Abstract

The Black-white Depression paradox, the lower prevalence of major depression among non-Hispanic Black (relative to non-Hispanic white) individuals despite their greater exposure to major life stressors, is a phenomenon that remains unexplained. Despite a decade plus of research, there is little clarity as to whether the paradoxical observations are an invalid finding, spuriously produced by selection bias, information bias, or confounding, or are a valid finding, representative of a true racial patterning of depression in the population. Though both artefactual and etiologic mechanisms have been tested, a lack of synthesis of the extant evidence has contributed towards an unclear picture of the validity of the paradox and produced challenges for researchers in determining which proposed mechanisms show promise, which have been debunked, and which require further study. The objective of this critical review is to assess the state of the literature regarding explanations for the Black-white depression paradox by examining some of the more prominent hypothesized explanatory mechanisms that have been proposed and assessing the state of the evidence in support of them. Included mechanisms were selected for their perceived dominance in the literature and the existence of at least one, direct empirical test using DSM major depression as the outcome. This review highlights the very limited evidence in support of any of the extant putative mechanisms, suggesting that investigators should redirect efforts towards identifying novel mechanisms, and/or empirically testing those which show promise but to date have been relatively understudied. We conclude with a discussion of the broader implications of the evidence for well-accepted social theories and raise questions regarding the use of DSM major depression to assess mental health burden in Black communities.