Prevalence, Comorbidity, and Course of Depression Among Black Fathers in the United States

Abstract

Black men are disproportionately exposed to adverse social and economic factors that may be linked to depression. Little is known about depression among Black fathers, although depression is a significant health problem and detrimental to the instrumental and affective support of their families. The authors use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to estimate the prevalence, correlates, comorbidity, and course of depression among a national sample of urban Black fathers. The prevalence of 12-month major depressive episode (12%) is one and a half times higher among Black fathers than among men in the general population. Anxiety, substance dependence, and bad health are disproportionately concentrated in Black fathers with depression. The proportion of depression-free Black fathers and the proportion of Black fathers who recover from depression both decreased over a 4-year period. Implications include the need for culturally relevant male-specific tools to prevent and treat depression among Black fathers.