Ethnicity and sex as correlates of depression symptoms in a Canadian university sample

Differences in the extent of depression symptoms were explored in a sample of Canadian university students representing Anglo-Celtic, South European, North European, East European, South Asian, and East Asian ethnocultural backgrounds in Toronto, one of the world's most ethnically diverse cities. Consistent with expectations, sex and ethnic differences in the self-reported strength of depression symptoms, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), were found. Women scored higher overall on total BDI scores and were proportionally more apt to be classified as mildly depressed (by having scored 10 or more on the BDI) than men. Similarly, as regards ethnicity, students from South Asian and South European ethnic backgrounds scored higher on the BDI and were also more likely to be classifiable as mildly depressed than those from either East European or Anglo-Celtic backgrounds. An explanation emphasizing the role of societal discrimination in producing feelings of learned helplessness and subsequent depression is proposed to account for the sex and ethnic differences in depression symptoms we and others have observed.