Equity and inclusion in prevention: Depression prevention in Black and White American youth

Depression is an ongoing public health issue impacting over 5 million American adolescents. Although prevention has been shown to be an effective strategy in reducing the incidence of depressive symptoms, depression prevention programs have been developed and tested in largely White populations. Thus, the effects of such programs in diverse groups are understudied, though research shows adapted versions are more beneficial for diverse populations than nonadapted programs. In this study, we sought to examine the effects of depression prevention in Black and White American youth.

Informed by youth focus groups, we adapted and implemented a program which previously benefited mainly White samples to benefit Black and White American inner-city high school students. Of the 425 youth who participated, 57.2% identified as Black and 42.8% identified as White. We randomized youth into two conditions-prevention and nonprevention control-and measured depressive symptoms over three semesters.

We found differential effects of prevention on Black and White American youth. For Black American youth, there was no difference between the two conditions at any of the waves of data collection. For White American youth, however, the prevention program worked as intended.

Given our findings and past research, it is essential to investigate possible causes for the differential effects of prevention to increase understanding and ensure positive effects of prevention for all youth. Additional ramifications and recommendations for future research and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).