Date of Graduation

5-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Nursing

Advisor/Mentor

Narcisse, Marie Rachelle

Committee Member/Reader

Hale, Cathy

Abstract

Thesis Title: Assessing Quality of Life, Psychological Well-Being and Depression in Hispanic American Women: Does Cultural Competence Matter? ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Hispanic people are at an elevated risk of developing depression as compared to any other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Hispanic women, in particular, experience depression at roughly twice the rate of Hispanic men. The projected growth of the Hispanic population coupled with the high prevalence of depression among Hispanic women will exacerbate this already serious public health conundrum if targeted and culturally competent interventions are not tailored to better tackle this illness. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a culturally competent intervention among Hispanic adult women who suffer from depression. METHODS: Data from a two-year randomized controlled trial conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) were analyzed. Usual care patients were offered standard referrals to MGH mental health resources. Intervention patients received a culturally focused consultation with mental health providers who were trained in culturally competent techniques, and familiar with the cultures and languages of the patients. A Mann-Whitney U-test was performed to examine differences in the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Rated Scale (QIDS-SR 16) scores between usual care and intervention groups at baseline and at 6 month-follow-up. A Friedman test was conducted to investigate differences between pretest and posttest Schwartz Outcome Scale (SOS-10) scores in the intervention group. Parametric tests were further performed to determine differences in cumulative scores between the groups, at baseline and at 6 month- follow-up. RESULTS: Overall, 81 patients completed the baseline and follow-up visits. At 6 month-follow-up, Hispanic women who received the culturally competent intervention less often reported feelings of sadness or waking up too early, as compared to Hispanic women who received the usual -non-culturally competent- care. There were statistically significant differences in the average cumulative QIDS- SR 16 scores between usual care and intervention groups. Hispanic women in the intervention group had, on average, higher scores of personal satisfaction (SOS-10, Item 1) at two weeks as compared to baseline, but these scores remained unchanged at 6 months. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that health care services rendered by culturally competent mental health providers can be more effective at treating Hispanic American women who suffer from depression.

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