Racial Disparities in the Prevalence and Associated Factors of Childhood Depression in Canada

Despite growing concern over child mental health, no Canadian study to date has disaggregated depression diagnosis rates by racial identity, limiting understanding of disparities among racialized and Indigenous children. This study investigated parental reports of depression diagnosis among their children in a weighted sample of 2,528 Arab, Asian, Black, Indigenous, and White parents. A total of 6.9% (95% CI; 5.7% - 8.3%) of parents reported a child diagnosed with depression, with the highest rates among Arab (12.0%), Indigenous (11.4%), and Black (10.3%) parents. Hierarchical logistic regression showed that, after adjusting for covariates, Black (AOR = 2.5, p = 0.002), Arab (AOR = 3.2, p = 0.004), and Asian (AOR = 1.8, p = 0.029) parents were significantly more likely to report child depression compared to White parents. Parents experiencing very high levels of racial discrimination were four times more likely to report child depression (AOR = 4.0, p < 0.001). Follow-up analyses showed that very high levels of racial discrimination were significantly associated with increased reports of depression among Black and Arab parents. These results underscore the importance of implementing antiracist prevention and intervention strategies, as well as enhancing culturally humble and competent training for mental health professionals.