22. Racial and ethnic differences in treatment seeking individuals

Hispanic/Latinx Americans and Black/African Americans experience higher rates of distress/misery disorders (i.e., major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder) than White Americans. Endorsement of specific distress/misery disorder symptoms has also differed by race and ethnicity. As compared to White Americans, Hispanic/Latinx Americans report increased somatic symptoms and Black/African Americans endorse increased levels of anger, aggression, and irritability. The associations between specific symptoms of distress/misery disorders may also vary across different racial and ethnic groups. The present study will utilize symptom network analysis to investigate the racial and ethnic differences in symptom-to-symptom relationships within treatment-seeking individuals with distress/misery disorders. These models will test conditionally independent relationships between distress/misery symptoms, as assessed by the Psychiatric Diagnostic Screening Questionnaire, in 503 Hispanic/Latinx, 388 Non-Hispanic/Latinx Black/African, and 2,597 Non-Hispanic/Latinx White adults from the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial. This poster will assess racial and ethnic differences in two types of network parameters: 1) global (e.g., Network Comparison Tests) and 2) specific (e.g., rank order of centrality). Findings from this study could identify possible prevention and intervention targets unique to each racial and ethnic group.